The UFC confirmed on Monday that undefeated featherweight contenders Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy will headline UFC Fight Night 270 on March 21 at The O2 Arena in London. The winner of this matchup is expected to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight championship later this year.
Movsar Evloev vs Lerone Murphy Officially Announced as Main Event for UFC London in March
Evloev returns after a 14-month absence from competition. The Russian holds a perfect 19-0 record and is ranked number one in the division. His last appearance came in December 2024 at UFC 310, where he defeated former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by unanimous decision. That performance extended his UFC record to 9-0, though he has failed to finish any opponent inside the octagon.
The 31-year-old grappler missed all of 2025 after withdrawing from a scheduled bout with Aaron Pico at UFC Abu Dhabi in July due to an injury sustained during training camp in Thailand. His resume includes decision victories over Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, and Dan Ige.
Murphy carries a 17-0-1 professional record into the contest and will compete in front of his home crowd for the first time as a main event headliner. The Manchester native is ranked fourth at featherweight and has won nine consecutive fights since a draw with Zubaira Tukhugov in 2019.
The 34-year-old secured his title shot credentials with a stunning spinning back elbow knockout of Pico at UFC 319 in August. That finish, which occurred in the first round, immediately positioned Murphy as a serious contender and earned widespread recognition as a knockout of the year candidate. Earlier in 2025, Murphy defeated former interim title challenger Josh Emmett by unanimous decision at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, matching Evloev for the longest active win streak in the featherweight division.
Volkanovski recently defended his title for the second time against Lopes at UFC 325 in Sydney, winning by unanimous decision with scores of 49-45, 49-46, and 50-45. Following that victory, the Australian champion stated that either Evloev or Murphy would likely be his next challenger. The win tied Volkanovski with Jose Aldo for the most featherweight title defenses in UFC history at eight.
The full main card features several British fighters competing at home. Michael "Venom" Page returns to welterweight to face Sam Patterson after recent success at middleweight, where he defeated Jared Cannonier in August. Roman Dolidze meets rising English prospect Christian Leroy Duncan in a middleweight bout. Duncan enters on a three-fight winning streak with two knockout finishes in 2025, while Dolidze seeks to rebound from a submission loss to Anthony Hernandez.
