Dana White has insisted that the UFC will put together a massive card for Leon Edwards' homecoming title defence against Kamaru Usman next year.
The promotional boss isn't keen to run a stadium in the UK due to the famously poor weather in the country. But he was almost drawn out by host Adam Catterall's suggestion during a recent BT Sport interview that they run the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff which has a retractable roof and recently hosted a major WWE event.
White is plotting a monstrous card to rival this weekend's UFC 280, which features two world title fights and an undercard full of bouts that could headline fight nights around the world. It is believed that the event will be UFC 285 and take place around March, with the executive claiming that they could set the co-main event as Khamzat Chimaev vs Colby Covington.
"We're coming back to England with the rematch," White said. "Leon Edwards, in his home country, I'm getting goosebumps just talking about this, it's been so long since we brought a big title fight back to the UK. We're going to make that card look like this card [UFC 280]. I'm so excited because you know how much I love the fans in England and the UK.
"I'm f***ing pumped, yes we will be back in England! The fight's going to be January or February, we can't be screwing around in England [with an open air stadium]. You can't screw around in England without a roof anywhere doing fights, it rains most of the time there and it's freezing.
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"We had to refuel in Shannon, Ireland on the way here [to Abu Dhabi] and I said I'd step out of the plan - it was f***ing freezing out, it's October and it's already freezing out. So I want to do a stadium, do you think if we did the stadium in Cardiff, we would sell it out with a roof?"
The UFC made two returns to London this year for shows at The O2 arena, but White plans to run a considerably bigger show next time around. Edwards is a massive fan favourite in the UK, and the arrival of a world title fight on British soil means there will be massive interest from fans, who already sold out the 20,000-seat capacity twice within four months.
"I'm telling you, I'm going to bring a bada** card to England," White insisted. "The English fans have been incredible, they're so fun, they bring such great energy to the place and when Leon Edwards won that fight I literally walked right into the back and said 'we're going to England boys'. I basically said 'f*** it, move this whole schedule, we're going to England! So England deserves this, Leon Edwards deserves this and I'm excited. I can't wait."
