Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Fight Pass London & The O2 Context
3. Quick Stats
4. Main Event: Manuwa KOs Anderson
5. Pickett’s Retirement, Allen’s Debut, Edwards & The Card
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 107: Manuwa vs. Anderson took place on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at The O2 Arena in London, England — broadcast exclusively on UFC Fight Pass with no US television network. The card drew 15,761 fans for a gate exceeding $2,015,777 — one of the strongest gates for a Fight Night card in London’s UFC history. The main event was a light heavyweight bout between British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa and TUF winner Corey Anderson.
Manuwa stopped Anderson with a left hook at 3:05 of round one and earned Performance of the Night. Gunnar Nelson’s R2 guillotine of Alan Jouban, Marlon Vera’s R3 head kick TKO of Brad Pickett, and Marc Diakiese’s 30-second KO of Teemu Packalen each earned Performance of the Night. No Fight of the Night bonus was awarded. Brad Pickett’s fight against Vera was his planned retirement bout; after losing, Pickett placed his gloves on the Octagon canvas and announced his retirement to the London crowd.
Fight Pass London & The O2 Context
The O2 Arena is one of the most commercially successful entertainment venues in the world, with capacity of approximately 20,000 for concerts. The UFC’s London cards at The O2 have consistently produced strong attendance and gate figures relative to the Fight Night format’s commercial ceiling. The FN107 gate of over $2 million was one of the highest in Fight Night history at the time. The Fight Pass exclusive format — with no Fox Sports 1 or FS1 broadcast — reflected the UFC’s strategy of using London’s strong in-arena draw to justify Fight Pass streaming.
The card’s number — UFC Fight Night 107 — reflected the same renumbering that affected the Fortaleza card (FN106). The London event had originally been assigned FN108; when the planned Las Vegas FN106 was cancelled, both the Fortaleza and London cards moved one number lower. Jimi Manuwa was the event’s most commercially appealing domestic draw: a British LHW contender whose power striking had made him one of the UK’s most celebrated UFC fighters.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, March 18, 2017
📍 Venue: The O2 Arena, London, England
👥 Attendance: 15,761
💰 Gate: $2,015,777+ (one of the highest gates for a UFC Fight Night in London history)
📺 Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass EXCLUSIVE (no US TV network)
🏆 Main Event: Jimi Manuwa vs. Corey Anderson — LHW (Manuwa coming off KO of OSP at UFC 204; Anderson on 4-win run)
✅ Result: Manuwa def. Anderson via KO (left hook) — R1, 3:05 (PoN $50k; Anderson shot takedowns; Manuwa landed glancing shot, then perfect left hook turned lights out)
Main Event: Manuwa KOs Anderson
Anderson’s game plan was apparent from the opening seconds: takedowns against Manuwa’s powerful striking. He shot twice in the early going and was sprawled on both attempts. Manuwa’s takedown defence was the prerequisite for his knockout power to be fully deployed. A glancing punch to Anderson’s temple appeared to affect Anderson’s equilibrium as he circled near the fence. Manuwa tracked him and landed a perfect left hook to the side of the head. Anderson collapsed and referee Leon Roberts stepped in. The KO came at 3:05.
Manuwa called for an LHW title shot against the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson and made mention of professional boxer David Haye in his post-fight interview — a characteristic combination of competitive ambition and self-promotion that defined his public persona. The left hook power that produced the Anderson KO had also produced the OSP KO at UFC 204 in October 2016: consecutive first or second-round KOs in his previous two fights made him the most active dangerous LHW striker in the world entering 2017.
Pickett’s Retirement, Allen’s Debut, Edwards & The Card
Brad Pickett’s final UFC fight was the evening’s most emotionally resonant moment. The Londoner had fought 18 times in WEC and UFC, won four Fight of the Night bonuses, and once defeated Demetrious Johnson. His planned retirement opponent Henry Briones pulled out one week before the event; Marlon Vera stepped in on short notice at a catchweight of 140 lb. The fight was competitive: Pickett dropped Vera with a left hand in round one and controlled round two with ground-and-pound. Vera’s head kick in round three ended the night. After the stoppage, Pickett placed his gloves on the Octagon canvas and announced his retirement. The O2 crowd received the moment with extended applause.
Arnold Allen’s UFC debut split decision over Makwan Amirkhani was a closely contested featherweight fight that opened the card. Allen — a 23-year-old Suffolk, England fighter — demonstrated the technical wrestling and grappling foundation that would eventually produce a 9-1 UFC FW record and top-five ranking by 2022. Leon Edwards’ unanimous decision over Vicente Luque was an early career win for the Jamaican-British welterweight: Edwards was 9-1 in the UFC entering London and would eventually win the UFC WW Championship at UFC 278 in August 2022, defeating Kamaru Usman with a head kick KO.
Full Results
Main Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Jimi Manuwa def. Corey Anderson — KO (left hook) — R1, 3:05 — LHW (PoN $50k; Anderson sprawled on twice; Manuwa’s left hook KO)
Gunnar Nelson def. Alan Jouban — Submission (guillotine choke) — R2, 0:46 — WW (PoN $50k; Nelson buckled Jouban with right hand; headlock to canvas; guillotine from full mount; tap at 0:46)
Marlon Vera def. Brad Pickett — TKO (head kick and punches) — R3, 3:50 — FW catchweight 140 lb (PoN $50k; SHORT NOTICE for Vera; Pickett dropped Vera R1; Pickett GnP in R2; Vera head kick R3; PICKETT’S RETIREMENT FIGHT; placed gloves on canvas post-fight)
Arnold Allen def. Makwan Amirkhani — Split Decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27) — FW (ALLEN’S UFC DEBUT; future top-5 FW; 23 years old)
Joseph Duffy def. Reza Madadi — Unanimous Decision (30-27x3) — LW
Francimar Barroso def. Darren Stewart — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — MW
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Timothy Johnson def. Daniel Omielanczuk — Split Decision — HW
Leon Edwards def. Vicente Luque — Unanimous Decision (29-28x3) — WW (Edwards early UFC career; future UFC WW champion at UFC 278 in August 2022)
Marc Diakiese def. Teemu Packalen — KO (punch) — R1, 0:30 — LW (PoN $50k; 30-second KO; blistering start to Diakiese’s UFC career)
Brad Scott def. Scott Askham — Split Decision — MW
Lina Lansberg def. Lucie Pudilova — Unanimous Decision — Women’s BW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: NOT AWARDED
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jimi Manuwa + Gunnar Nelson + Marlon Vera + Marc Diakiese — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• The O2 gate of $2,015,777 — one of the highest for a UFC Fight Night card in London.
• Brad Pickett retirement — 18 WEC/UFC fights, four FotN bonuses, defeat of Demetrious Johnson in his career.
• Arnold Allen UFC debut — the opening of a FW career that produced a 9-1 UFC record and top-5 ranking.
Legacy & Impact
Leon Edwards’ London win over Luque was one step in a WW career that produced the most celebrated moment in British MMA history: his head kick KO of Kamaru Usman with one minute remaining in round five at UFC 278 in August 2022, in front of 15,000 fans at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, producing the UFC WW Championship in one of the sport’s most dramatic finish sequences. His London 2017 career point was 10-1 in the UFC; by 2022 he was champion. Arnold Allen’s debut at The O2 opened a consecutive win streak that produced wins over Makwan Amirkhani, Mads Burnell, Movsar Evloev, and Dan Hooker before his loss to Giga Chikadze in 2022.
Manuwa’s London KO was part of a run of three consecutive UFC wins, including his OSP KO at UFC 204. His subsequent career produced a KO loss to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214 in July 2017 and a KO loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC London in March 2019, ending the title-contender narrative that his Anderson KO had briefly established. Marlon Vera’s PoN in London — his second UFC appearance, second PoN — established him as a UFC bonus earner early in his career.
FAQ
How did Pickett’s retirement fight come together on short notice?
Pickett’s retirement was announced before the card, with Henry Briones booked as his planned final opponent. Briones pulled out one week before the event — an extremely short notice window that limited the replacement options available. Marlon Vera was identified as a willing short-notice replacement. Due to the brevity of preparation time for Vera to make the featherweight limit of 145 lb, both fighters and the UFC agreed to contest the bout at a catchweight of 140 lb. The arrangement was unusual but reflected the difficulty of finding last-minute FW opponents willing and able to make weight on a few days’ notice.
What made Manuwa’s left hook so effective?
Manuwa’s knockout power at LHW was generated by hip rotation and timing rather than exceptional size. At 205 lb, his punching output was lower in volume than most UFC LHWs, but the quality of his technique — particularly the left hook — produced consistent finishing results. Anderson’s movement pattern — circling near the fence after being wobbled by a glancing shot — gave Manuwa the angle he needed to land the hook flush to the side of the head. Anderson’s unconscious state was near-instantaneous, reflecting the precision of the impact on the temple.
Who was Gunnar Nelson and what was his guillotine of Jouban?
Nelson was an Icelandic welterweight trained by John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland — the same gym as Conor McGregor. His ground game, particularly his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, was elite for the WW division. Jouban — an American welterweight and professional model — was buckled by Nelson’s straight right hand and pulled into a headlock as he stumbled. Nelson secured a guillotine and rolled to full mount, where Jouban tapped 46 seconds into round two. Nelson’s Icelandic background and BJJ precision made him one of the UFC’s most technically distinctive fighters.
What was Leon Edwards’ career status in March 2017?
Edwards was a 25-year-old Jamaican-born British welterweight from Birmingham who had fought under the Team Elevation banner. His London win over Luque gave him a 10-1 UFC record. He had been a UFC fighter since 2014 but had not yet broken into mainstream recognition. His methodical, wrestling-centred style had not yet produced the individual moments that generate public attention. His career trajectory from London 2017 to the UFC WW Championship at UFC 278 in 2022 was one of the sport’s most patient builds to a championship.
What was Marc Diakiese’s 30-second KO?
Diakiese’s first-round KO of Packalen at 0:30 was one of the fastest finishes in London UFC history. The Congolese-British lightweight landed a single punch that dropped Packalen immediately and produced a TKO stoppage. Diakiese had been a memorable presence at FN103 in Albany the previous December, where he won a decision over Frankie Perez despite a post-fight altercation. His London KO power added to the impression of a UFC LW prospect with genuine finishing danger. His subsequent career produced losses to Nasrat Haqparast and Joe Duffy that tempered his early momentum.
What was Brad Pickett’s career legacy?
Pickett was a 35-year-old Londoner who had competed in MMA since 2003. His UFC career produced 18 appearances across WEC and UFC, four Fight of the Night bonuses, and a win over Demetrious Johnson before Johnson’s dominant flyweight championship era. He was never a UFC BW champion but was consistently rated as a top-fifteen performer. His O2 retirement — placing his gloves on the canvas of the arena where he had previously built his legacy with London fight fans — was received as one of the more emotionally meaningful retirement moments in British MMA history.