UFC 204 Primer: ‘Repeat, or Revenge’ in England’s Second City

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.* * * It seems from the outside looking in that the sports world in the United Kingdom is very London-centric. The national soccer team plays in Wembley; the rugby team plays in Twickenham; most of the big fights take place in the O2 Arena; and the likes of Wimbledon and Lords hold huge events in the city that hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics.While London undoubtedly ranks as the No. 1 sports city in the U.K., Manchester runs a close second. Manchester United and Manchester City are the two biggest-spending soccer clubs in the world, and much of the rugby league is centered in Manchester, along with the world’s premier cycling team. Meanwhile, local world boxing champions Anthony Crolla and Tyson Fury were both scheduled to fight for world titles in the city this year. That puts the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest visit to the Northern capital of England in good company. For sports fans in that part of the world, seeing elite sports teams or athletes compete has become the norm, not the exception — unless you’re an MMA fan, of course. Apart from the odd outlier, almost all MMA on this side of the globe consists of good regional talent or the UFC’s second string. That changes to an extent with UFC 204 on Saturday, as the middleweight championship will be up for grabs inside the Manchester Arena. There, Michael Bisping will defend his 185-pound title against Dan Henderson in a five-round main event that headlines a deep card. It will be held late at night in the United Kingdom to accommodate the American pay-per-view audience, and while the start time creates some social hurdles, it was a necessary evil to attract some top names and at least one fight that cannot be …

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