The UFC will finally return to London on March 19, but a new main event might be needed.
The Fight Night card currently is headlined by Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall at The O2 arena, but the Russian heavyweight could face issues trying to enter the country due to the ongoing war between his home country and Ukraine, MMA Fighting has learned.
On Sunday, a member from the Parliament said on Twitter “The UK won’t welcome the national teams of countries complicit in Putin’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine .”
The lineup also includes Timur Valiev (who faces Jack Shore) and Shamil Abdurakhimov, and Sergei Pavlovich, heavyweight fighters.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting that Volkov’s visa is now at risk, and the UFC is currently looking into the situation for possible solutions. The UFC is yet to decide if Volkov-Aspinall would be moved to another event in the United States or if Aspinall will remain on the card for a fight against a new opponent.
Aspinall (11-2) is on a perfect 4-0 run under the UFC banner with wins over the likes of Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak. Volkov (34-9) looks for his second straight victory after a decision over Marcin Tybura this past October.
