The upcoming UFC welterweight bout between #1 ranked contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Darren Till is to be broadcast by the BBC for the first time when the pair take to the octagon in Liverpool on May 27th.
The BBC will be covering the fight on Radio 5 Live with commentary from Malcom Martin and former UFC fighter Brad Pickett and will be hosted by OJ Borg and Nick Peet. This will mark the first time that the BBC will broadcast any UFC event, however it is unsure if this will be a regular occurrence – due to the kickoff time for most events being in the early hours in the UK.
The fight between Wonderboy and Till has the potential to turn what is already a hectic welterweight division on it’s head. With Tyron Woodley still working his way back from a shoulder injury and an interim title fight slated to take place between former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos and the outspoken American fighter Colby Covington, Till coming out on top could launch all of the UFC’s current plans for the division up in the air.
Ben Gallop, head of BBC radio and digital sport, said: “Broadcasting a UFC event live on BBC 5 live sports extra is a landmark moment for us.
“The growing popularity of UFC in the UK, particularly amongst younger audiences, makes it the ideal sport for us to broadcast live, offering comprehensive coverage to our millions of listeners.
“Our coverage on BBC 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website will ensure fans won’t miss a moment of the action in Liverpool.”
While the hype for this upcoming fight night card is mostly (and with good reason) focussed around the main event, the co-main event also features an important battle in the middleweight division – with #9 ranked fighter Neil Magny taking on unranked Craig White. Magny comes into this fight looking to put together his first win streak since 2016, after failing to secure back to back wins in his last four visits to the octagon.
The fight will still be broadcast on BT Sport 2 with coverage starting at 6pm. The full fight card for UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs Till is:
UFC Main card:
- Welterweight – Steven Thompson vs Darren Till
- Welterweight – Neil Magny vs Craig White
- Featherweight – Arnold Allen vs Mads Burnell
- Featherweight: Jason Knight vs Makwan Amirkhani
- Bantamweight: Davey Grant vs Manny Bermudez
- Middleweight: Eric Spicely vs Darren Stewart
Prelims:
- Welterweight: Claudio Silva vs Nordine Taleb
- Middleweight: Dan Kelly vs Tom Breese
- Welterweight: Brad Scott vs Carlo Pedersoli Jr.
- Women’s Flyweight: Gillian Robertson vs Molly McCann
- Middleweight (UFC Fight Pass): Elias Theodorou vs Trevor Smith
- Women’s Bantamweight (UFC Fight Pass): Gina Mazany vs Lina Lansberg
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