UFC London: How to watch, full card and all you need to know before Jimi Manuwa vs Corey Anderson

Light-heavyweight battle headlines eagerly-anticipated UFC Fight Night 107 event at the O2 Arena.

MMA behemoth Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes a welcome return to the UK on Saturday night (18 March) as thousands of devoted obsessives prepare to pack out London's O2 Arena for an event also known as Fight Night 107.

The UFC last visited London 13 months ago, when Lancashire's very own Michael Bisping emerged victorious from a bloody five-round war against legendary one-time middleweight king Anderson Silva. "The Count" followed up that success by becoming the first British fighter ever to claim a UFC world title thanks to a dramatic first-round upset of Luke Rockhold. He later defended his belt on home soil against old rival Dan Henderson.

UFC London main event

This card does not boast quite such a flashy headliner, with Sacramento-born London resident Jimi Manuwa set to take on a man 10 years his junior in Ultimate Fighter series 19 winner and two-time collegiate wrestling All-American Corey Anderson.

Fourth-ranked "Poster Boy", looking to vault himself into light-heavyweight title contention, was last seen bouncing back from defeat to Anthony Johnson with a crushing knockout of Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 204 in Manchester.

All but two of talented striker Manuwa's 18 professional contests to date have taken place in the UK, although his last London outing ended with a disappointing maiden loss at the hands of Alexander Gustafsson. The 37-year-old was due to fight in the capital again last time around, only for injury to force the cancellation of his scheduled meeting with Nikita Krylov.

There is more European interest in the co-headline event, where Iceland's submission expert Gunnar Nelson, a training partner of Conor McGregor at the Straight Blast Gym in Dublin, will attempt to curtail the impressive three-fight winning streak of eye-catching welterweight contender Alan Jouban.

Corey Anderson meets Jimi Manuwa in the headline event

With a proposed fight against Henry Briones scuppered for the third time, English veteran Brad "One Punch" Pickett will now end his career with a swansong against late replacement opponent Marlon Vera. The main card is rounded off by budding Suffolk featherweight Arnold Allen's battle with Makwan Amirkhani of Finland.

Birmingham duo Leon Edwards and Tom Breese feature on the preliminary card, as do Darren Stewart and the highly-rated Marc "Bonecrusher" Diakiese. Ian Entwistle and Welshman Brett Johns go head-to-head in a 'Battle of Britain' affair, while Bradley Scott and Scott Askham also lock horns. Ireland's Joe Duffy is in action against Reza Madadi.

How to watch UFC London

Fans in the United Kingdom can watch UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs Anderson live on BT Sport 2. The event can also be viewed through UFC Fight Pass and UFC TV.

What time does UFC London start?

Unlike UFC 204 in Manchester, which took place very late in order to cater for an American television audience, Fight Night 107 does not demand that British supporters stay awake until the crack of dawn. The prelims are due to get underway at 6pm, with the main card expected to start approximately three hours later.