Luke Riley has declared he and teammate Shem Rock are seeking “repeat and redemption” at UFC London.
Riley (12-0) is set to face Michael Aswell Jr. (11-3) in the co-main event. This follows Riley’s knockout win on his debut in Qatar last year, on the same card where Rock (12-2-1) suffered a decision defeat.
Both fighters made weight comfortably in London on Friday.
‘Scouse Takeover’ at The O2
The Next Generation MMA teammates are part of what they’ve called a “Scouse takeover” of The O2. Kurtis Campbell (8-0) will open up the main card against Danny Silva.
They are now looking for a big night in front of the large travelling support in the capital.
Riley Confident Ahead of Aswell Jr. Fight
“Like I’ve been saying all week, look, he’s a fighter [Aswell], he’s game, he’s tough,” Riley told TNT Sports. “But I’m just going to be quicker to the mark, faster, speed kills. I’ve put on muscle, feel good … [It’s] go time tomorrow, the hard parts done, we’re ready. He’s done tomorrow. Repeat, and redemption [for Rock].”
Rock Aims to Bounce Back
Rock is aiming to recover from his debut defeat. He has big ambitions for his UFC career after Saturday’s bout against Abdul Al-Selwady (15-4).
“For this one, I feel in much better shape,” Rock said. “[We’re going to to] Show people what we’re made of and then get over to the Vegas cards and do what Paddy Pimblett’s doing.
“I’m better than him [Al-Selwady] everywhere, he’s short, I out-range him, I’m faster than him, I’m stronger than him and if he wants to wrestle, then good luck.”
Murphy and Evloev Ready for Main Event
The main event was confirmed on Friday with Lerone Murphy (17-0-1) at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds and Movsar Evloev (19-0) at 146 pounds.
The unbeaten pair will fight to finish the night on Saturday with a featherweight title shot on the line. Murphy believes that he’s “championship level.”
“Another good cut, working with the UFC Performance Institute makes it much easier, another super-cut,” Murphy said after hitting the scales.
“This is what I live for, what I do it for, the big nights, what I put the work in the gym for.
“I’m not worried what he’s going to do, I’m going to implement my game plan as soon as possible. Get through Movsar and I know I’m championship level, this is just another test … We’re ready to go.”