Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) – Breaking the monotony of its summer schedule, the UFC has chosen to grace Manchester, England, with its presence for the first time since UFC 204 in Oct. 2016.

This significant event is scheduled for July 27, airing on pay-per-view. While it might be a late night and early morning for U.K. fans, it's a testament to the sport's global appeal.

UFC CEO Dana White said the event promises to be remembered and re-emphasized his desire to keep holding fights in England as an important and targeted international destination to grow and develop up-and-coming talent and future champions.

“I’m so excited to get back to Manchester. And no better time than this summer,” White said in a release from the UFC. “We have two champions from the U.K., and fans have been dying for a UFC PPV event. So here we come to the largest indoor arena in the U.K. See you soon, England.”

Although no fights have been formally announced, the newly minted Co-Op Live Arena will likely play host to two championship fights – Tom Aspinall defending his interim UFC heavyweight title and Leon Edwards defending his UFC welterweight title. Both men are England-based, making those names perfect backdrops in style to top the night off.

Gary Roden, the Executive Director and General Manager of Co-Op Live, said hosting a UFC event was a no-brainer, especially given the arena’s capacity of 23,500.

“With the north of England home to so many of the world’s leading fighters, we are primed and ready for UFC and its knowledgeable, passionate fanbase,” Roden said in a statement. “Offering a state-of-the-art platform for globally broadcast events, Co-op Live is extremely proud to welcome entertainment of this scale and caliber as the future home of combat sports in the U.K.”

UFC 304 has already been added to the roaming traveling party, the pay-per-view event schedule. In May, the UFC will head to Brazil for UFC 301 before heading back stateside to New Jersey for UFC 302 on June 1. In late June, the UFC will host the long-awaited return of former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor as he finally settles the score with ex-TUF 31 coach Michael Chandler on June 29 in Las Vegas.

However, this will not be the UFC’s first trip to the U.K. for a pay-per-view. Outside of UFC 204 in Manchester, the promotion has been in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham, to name a few, and began visiting England as early as 2002, beginning with UFC 38, which took place in July of that year.

The UFC’s international presence is well-known, as it frequently stops in countries like France, Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Germany, Australia and Japan, to name a few. The promotion plans to host UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October and held an event in Toronto, Canada, in January, which was the first pay-per-view of the year (UFC 297).

Nevertheless, the MMA leader continues its near-weekly domination of the combat sports calendar with no signs of slowing down.

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