It’s been a long time coming, but the UFC have announced the promotion’s return to Belfast,
The UFC’s Motley crew will be holding an event in the SSE Arena on November 19th, which will be their first event in Belfast since UFC 72 in June 2007 which was headlined by Rich Franklin vs Yushi Okami, with former champion Forrest Griffin duking it out against Hector Ramirez in the co-main event.
The card also featured local fighters Stevie Lynch and Colin Robinson, which means some of the North’s finest fighters will have a real shot at getting their promotional debut on the card. Although no fights have been announced yet, the likes of Alan Philpott and Ali MacLean could be in the hunt of getting the nod.
However, one fighter who looks set to miss out is Bushmills’ Norman Parke. The TUF Smashes sinner was released from the promotion in April after going 1-3 in his last four fights with his recent loss to Rustam Khabilov at UFC London providing the final nail in the coffin for his first stint in the UFC, which began in late 2012.
Parke had been campaigning to headline a UFC Belfast card throughout his UFC tenure and he is clearly disappointed at the prospect of not being a part of a momentous occasion for the fight community north of the border.
if only..
BREAKING: We're coming back to Northern Ireland! #UFCBelfast on 19 November. Tickets on sale 23rd Sept https://t.co/zzGaYogaeN
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) August 19, 2016
Parke is set to fight Andrew Fisher at ABC Glasgow in October, but he revealed that not even a dominant win would be enough to get him back in the UFC in time for November 19.
you need at least a 3fight win streak.
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) August 19, 2016
😦😦 if only I wasn't fucking injured after my last one, would have had 3fights by now https://t.co/lNLkuzDDrK
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) August 19, 2016
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