Luke Riley calls for 145lbs division to “bring it on” following UFC London win

Merseyside MMA fighter Luke Riley has called for the 145lbs featherweight division to “bring it on” following his unanimous decision win over Michael Aswell at UFC London.

The undefeated 26 year-old has now won his first two fights in the UFC and moves his professional record up to 13-0-0.

This comes after his fight in the co-main event at the O2 in London on Saturday 21 where all judges scored the fight 30-27 for a unanimous decision win.

Hard-earned win

With nine out of his 13 wins coming by knockout/technical knockout, many fans had predicted Riley to finish Aswell in fashion.

But despite his best efforts, the American pushed through and survived to the final bell.

Riley told TNT Sports: “Michael was tough, he head a head like a cinder block, my hands are a bit sore.

“But I’m happy, I’m going home with the win and my health in tact.”

Room for improvement

Following his win, he told Michael Bisping : “It’s not boxing, it’s MMA so I give my performance a 5/10, if that.

“I’m a perfectionist and I was caught too many times.

“I feel like it’s a good thing that even on my worst days, I still win so picture me on my best days.

“But a win’s a win, people keep trying and they can’t beat me.”

You can watch the full-fight here:

What’s next?

Riley, who trains with Paddy Pimblett at Next Gen Liverpool, has already hinted at his return, with a clear date in mind.

He told TNT Sports: “Get me on the card with Paddy in June for International Fight week, definitely.

“Me and Paddy in Vegas, we’ve been saying it for how long?

“Both of us on the same card would be insane.”

The scouser remains one of the UFC’s hottest upcoming prospects with a lot of hype behind him and he wasn’t short for words for what’s next.

“I’ve shown as much as possible but I know I can show a lot more and I feel like a lot of people in the 145lbs division now are going to be gunning for me so bring them on.”

(Featured Image under agreed Alamy licence)