Read our full write-up of all preliminary fights here.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Volkov

Alexander Volkov proved he is the next up-and-coming heavyweight to keep a serious eye on after knocking out former UFC champion Fabricio Werdum.

There was no messing around from Werdum, who launched a flying kick as soon as the fight started, before taking Volkov down to the ground. From there, world-class grappler Werdum controlled Volkov from full guard, looking to open up some guard passing and submission opportunities with some ground and pound. But Volkov scrambled to his feet with 90 seconds left in the first round and landed a number of punches which hurt the former UFC heavyweight champion.

The second round followed a similar theme, with Werdum wanting the fight on the floor and Volkov doing everything he can to avoid that – and again in the third, with Werdum flopping to his back in an attempt to lure Volkov into his world-renowned guard.

Things changed in the fourth round. With Volkov nonchalantly sat in Werdum’s guard, the Brazilian appeared to be goaded into a slugfest. That proved a big mistake as the Russian giant landed a combination of big punches to finish the fight.

Volkov was impressive in nullifying a wily veteran and getting the job done. Expect big things from the Russian.

 

Jan Blachowicz avenges defeat against Jimi Manuwa in rematch

Many British fight fans voiced their displeasure at seeing Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz have a second go on it at the 10th UFC event to be held in London. However, any naysayers should eat their words following this bloody back-and-forth battle.

Unlike their first fight, where Manuwa won a dominant unanimous decision, Blachowicz came out on top with a unanimous decision going his way in this violent contest. The pair traded combinations, head kicks, stinging jabs and more in synchronisation for the full 15 minutes.

Manuwa looked to dictate the pace in the cage, pinning his opponent against the fence to land punches to the body and his big left hook. Meanwhile, Blachowicz was happy to take any punishment to dish out his own – and that he did.

In a fight jam-packed with action, the big highlight moment came halfway through the first round when Blachowicz charged forward and landed a flurry of punches to flatten Manuwa right in front of us on press row. Manuwa dug deep to survive the round and still managed to look fresh at the end of the fight over 10 minutes later.

This was a fantastic, well-matched light heavyweight contest. With the score between the two now at 1-1, they surely need to have a rubber match on neutral territory.

 

Tom Duquesnoy edges close fight with Terrion Ware

Two facts we already believed to be true were confirmed thanks to this fight: Tom Duequesnoy is really fun to watch and Terrion Ware is tough as nails.

“Fire Kid” Duquesnoy threw everything but the kitchen sink and Ware wore everything thrown his way if you pardon the alliteration.

French prospect Duquesnoy landed a number of thudding leg kicks, but the American continued to march forward, applying plenty of pressure on his opponent and scoring shots of his own with regularity. Duquesnoy’s clever combinations and Ware’s constant pressure never wavered.

After three hard-fought rounds, the judges unanimously scored the fight in Duquesnoy’s favour (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), but that perhaps isn’t a fair reflection on how close this contest was.

 

Leon Edwards wins late against Peter Sobotta

It wasn’t the prettiest of fights, but Leon Edwards cemented his position as a top 15 UFC welterweight with a third-round TKO win over Germany’s Peter Sobotta.

Proceedings kicked off in high gear as Edwards floored Sobotta with a stinging left hook, only for Sobotta to catch his opponent in a tight armbar attempt.

The rest of the fight followed a similar formula. The pair looked evenly matched on the feet, with Sobotta throwing an impressive jab. But for all of Sobotta’s submission attempts, Edwards’ ground control was the difference as both men looked set to have the outcome of their fight decided by the judges’ scorecards.

However, Edwards rallied and had pinned Sobotta on the canvas against the cage in the final minute. The Birmingham-bred fighter rained down some nasty-looking ground and pound and the referee called the fight off for an Edwards win by TKO with just a second of the fight remaining.

That’s the second time a bout finished on 4:59 of the final round tonight. Read about Paul Craig’s miraculous come-from-behind victory here.

Edwards went on to call out Darren Till for the UFC’s upcoming inaugural trip to Liverpool.

 

UFC London: Werdum vs. Volkov full results:

Heavyweight bout: Alexander Volkov defeats Fabricio Werdum by knockout (punches) at 1:38 of round four.

Light Heavyweight bout: Jan Blachowicz defeats Jimi Manuwa by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Bantamweight bout: Tom Duquesnoy defeats Terrion Ware by unanimous decision after three rounds.

Welterweight bout: Leon Edwards defeats Peter Sobotta by TKO (punches) at 4:59 of round three.

Middleweight bout: Charles Byrd defeats John Phillips by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:58 of round one.

Welterweight bout: Danny Roberts defeats Oliver Enkamp by KO (punches) at 2:12 of round one.

Featherweight bout: Danny Henry defeats Hakeem Dawodu by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:39 of round one.

Light Heavyweight bout: Paul Craig defeats Magomed Ankalaev by submission (triangle choke) at 4:59 of round three.

Lightweight bout: Kajan Johnson defeats Stevie Ray by split decision after three rounds. (Judges’ scorecards: 29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Heavyweight bout: Dmitriy Sosnovskiy defeats Mark Godbeer by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:29 of round two.