UFC Dana White provides a confounding revelation regarding UFC 286 and Conor McGregor amidst the anxiously anticipated return of the UFC to the O2 arena in London, UK, which is set to create history. UFC286 goes down tonight in a spectacular evening of fights. The main card will see Birmingham’s hometown hero, Leon Edwards, defend his newly captured Welterweight title against former champion Kamaru Usman.
The encounter will go down as the third and final chapter of their storied rivalry, with Edwards making his first title defence. The co-main event also sees the human highlight reel, Justin Gaethje, make his return to the octagon against fellow striking connoisseur Rafael Fiziev.
Both men will be aiming to get a vital win to pursue a title shot in the near future. The bout encapsulates precisely what mixed martial arts striking is all about, and make no mistake, when their paths cross, it will be a treat for the fans.
Furthermore, former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori will aspire to bounce back from his loss to former 185lbs champion Robert Whittaker. As he welcomes Middleweight top-10 newcomer Romain Dolidze to the big leagues.
Women’s flyweight Casey O’Neil marks her return to the division. She looks to carry on her undefeated streak in an underrated contest against former title challenger Jennifer Maia.
UK representatives and surging stars Muhammad Mokaev and Jack Shore are contending on the card as well. As the trinity looks to raise their stock in hopes of fighting ranked contenders prior to the cessation of the year.
With an exquisite lineup of fighters, it’s no surprise that the pay-per-view will be ludicrous. As such, the O2 is expected to rake in the revenue and energy from a vast number of supporters of the fight game this evening as London creates history in terms of the gate.
Also read: UFC 286 PPV Price: How Much Does It Cost?
UFC 286: Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman slated to make history per Dana White
The trilogy is scheduled for tonight, and suffice it to say, when the encounter was announced, the tickets sold out in the blink of an eye. UFC President Dana White recently disclosed that the event will be one for the record books.
The gate, in particular, for the fight night is expected to cross a staggering nine million dollars. However, it’s pivotal to note that a large part of the reason for this is due to the high amount of money charged for the tickets.
Dana White says the #UFC286 gate is over $9M.
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 17, 2023
White also further went on to confirm that Ireland’s own and former UFC two-weight world champion Conor McGregor is expected to be in attendance for the event.
The Notorious one had previously appeared on the MMA hour with Ariel Helwani. He hinted that his intention was to grab a third title at 170 lbs. The Irishman declared that he was eyeing the winner of the trilogy bout.
His presence will undeniably captivate the attention of the fans in attendance. Needless to say, the pay-per-view will provide an insight into just how large the sport of MMA is in the United Kingdom, contrary to popular belief.
Edwards could potentially be the face of the UK for years to come, provided he has another sublime display in his back pocket.
Also read: UFC 286: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 3- How Much Does the Ticket Cost?
Conor McGregor vs the winner of Usman/Edwards
McGregor’s advent on the MMA hour was a sight for sore eyes for fans of the show. The 34-year-old spoke candidly of his current status, impending fight against Michael Chandler and much more.
However, the subject that caught the notice of his patronage was his career aspirations going forward. Mac divulged that a third belt is what he’s after to cement himself in MMA history as the only man to clinch UFC titles in three weight classes.
He, in fact, mentioned that had it been up to him, he would fight the winner of tonight’s main event. Given that Chandler is a lightweight despite their fight being announced for 170lbs, it will not prove to be fruitful for him in his argument for a title shot.
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The most likely scenario remains that Conor McGregor will have to fight another elite and authentic Welterweight contender. If he genuinely wants to fight for the 170 lbs gold in the not-so-distant future.
Also read: Joe Rogan Outlines Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards Trilogy Ahead of UFC 286
