Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom

Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom
Michael Bisping (left) and Denis Kang at the weigh-ins for UFC 105 (Manchester)
Country	United Kingdom
Governing body	English Mixed Martial Arts Association [1]
National team(s)	United Kingdom

Mixed Martial Arts in the United Kingdom is one of the fastest growing sports thanks to the promotion of the UFC. ^{[2] [3]}

History

UFC 38 was one the earliest entries of MMA in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2002, at Royal Albert Hall. ^{[4] [5]} Regional and national events regularly take place with local and international promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Michael Bisping became the first UK UFC champion. ^{[6] [7] [8]} In 2025 Tom Aspinall become the third UK UFC champion after Leon Edwards in 2022. ^{[9] [10]}

British people who won a World MMA title with major organisation, other than the UFC, include Liam McGeary, ^[11] Brendan Loughnane, ^[12] and most recently Dakota Ditcheva who in 2024 became Britain's first female World MMA Champion. ^[13]

Domestic Organizations

The major organizations for MMA are Cage Warriors, ^{[14] [15] [16]} UCMMA and Full Contact Contender.

Television

The UFC is broadcast on BT Sport. ^[17] The PFL is broadcast on Channel 4 as of 2022. ^[18] Bellator MMA is broadcast on Channel 5. ^{[19] [20] [21]} ONE is broadcast on Sky Sports as of 2024. ^[22]

References

1. Simon Head (September 10, 2020). "Cage Warriors makes history with first government-recognized MMA shows in U.K." MMAjunkie.com .
2. "How the UFC phenomenon turned the UK into a nation of MMA fans" . Independent.co.uk . 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
3. Johns, Craig (16 October 2016). "UFC 204 shows just how much MMA is growing in Britain - hopefully North East play their part" . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
4. Sport, Express (January 23, 2018). "UFC London: Looking back at 10 years of MMA in the English capital". Express.co.uk.
5. Wertheim, Jon. "How a UFC fighter pulled off the biggest bank heist ever". Sports Illustrated.
6. Hardy, Dan (6 June 2016). "UFC: Michael Bisping's journey to become first British champion" . Retrieved 15 March 2018.
7. "Michael Bisping becomes first British UFC champion". BBC Three. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
8. "Bigger than ever: How MMA in the U.K. is healthy and thriving in 2019". ESPN . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
9. "Britain's Edwards stuns Usman with late knockout to win UFC welterweight title". The Guardian. 2022-08-21. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-07-23.
10. "UFC: Jon Jones retires, Tom Aspinall upgraded to undisputed heavyweight champion". BBC Sport. 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
11. "Liam McGeary becomes first British world champion". ITV News.
12. "Briton Loughnane wins PFL world title and $1m" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
13. "MMA: Dakota Ditcheva stops Taila Santos to become first British woman to win MMA world title". BBC Sport. 2024-11-29. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
14. "Cage Warriors: Europe's proven path to the UFC". ESPN.com. June 30, 2019.
15. Writer, Sports. "Cage Warriors Returns To Revitalize UK MMA Scene". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
16. "MMA in the UK – Past, Present and Future". Sports Gazette . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
17. "UFC signs new television contract in UK, Ireland" . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
18. Miller, Max (2022-02-08). "Channel 4 picks up Professional Fighters League". Broadcast.
19. "Bellator MMA Announces Exclusive TV Deal with Channel 5 in the UK | MMAWeekly.com". February 6, 2019.
20. Carroll, Peter (February 6, 2019). "Bellator's European series to broadcast live on Channel 5 in the U.K." MMA Fighting.
21. "How the BBC finally embraced MMA". The Independent. May 5, 2022.
22. "Sky Sports announces partnership with ONE, the world's largest martial arts organisation". Sky Sports. December 14, 2023.