Liverpool-born MMA fighter Kurtis “The Pink Panther” Campbell has secured a UFC contract following a rapid first round knock out victory in Las Vegas.
The 23-year-old finished Senegalese Demba Seck in the opening 80 seconds of Dana White’s Contender Series after taking his opponent down, landing a flush knee and a flurry of punches to end the fight.
Campbell joins an exclusive group of Scouse MMA fighters who have fought for the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett
Since signing with the UFC in 2021, Paddy Pimblett has seen himself become one of the biggest stars in the promotion.
He made his debut against Luigi Vendramini and has gone on to win all seven of his fights in the promotion – most notably against Tony Ferguson and his recent knockout victory over Michael Chandler.
Pimblett is currently ranked seventh in the lightweight division and is a serious contender to face Ilia Topuria in the near future.
Molly “Meatball” McCann
Molly McCann made her UFC debut against Gillian Robertson at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till in May 2018 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
Following a debut loss in her home town, McCann went on to win her next three fights and fought 14 times in the promotion, fighting in Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi and the famous Madison Square Garden arena.
McCann had a near seven-year run in the MMA promotion and will be remembered for her boxing ability in the octagon and spinning back elbow knockouts in back-to-back fights in London.
Following her career in the octagon, McCann signed with Matchroom Boxing and won her debut bout in September 2025.
Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly fought nine times in the UFC from 2008 until 2011.
He made his debut at UFC 80 against Paul Taylor, in a fight of the night performance which saw both fighters receive a $35,000 bonus.
Kelly fought three times at welterweight before moving down to lightweight and fought in Abu Dhabi and California.
His final bout in the promotion saw him in a losing effort in Las Vegas against MMA legend Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Chris Fishgold
Prior to UFC experience, Chris Fishgold had an impressive 17-1-1 record which saw him capture the Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship and defend it on three occasions.
On the back of his glory in Cage Warriors, he signed with the UFC but couldn’t emulate the same success.
He made his debut in the featherweight division against Calvin Kattar at a UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith in October 2018.
Darren “The Gorilla” Till
Liverpool-born Darren Till made his debut on just eight days’ notice, knocking out Wendell Oliveira after just 1:37 seconds of the first round.
Till began his UFC career with 5-0-1, including a main event victory in his hometown of Liverpool – a unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson.
He then went on to challenge Tyron Woodley for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 228 – losing to submission in the second round.
Losing four of his last five fights in the promotion, Till was released from his contract in 2023 and went on to pursue other sports such as boxing.
