Liverpool MMA star Luke Riley earns Dana White's attention as he waits for UFC offer

Luke Riley, 25, fights out of Next Generation MMA and is set to appear on Dana White's Contender Series later this year as he bids to win a contract in the UFC
-Credit: (Image: (Iain Watts/Liverpool ECHO))


Liverpool MMA star Luke Riley caught the eye of Dana White as he knocked out Brazilian Alexandre Junior in devastating fashion at Cage Warriors 178 on Saturday night. The 25-year-old, who fights out of Next Generation Gym, extended his record in the promotion to 10-0 and put himself on the brink of a call-up to the UFC.

Headlining Cage Warriors for the first time, Riley made light work of his 30-year-old opponent as he landed a ferocious overhand right to down Junior before finishing him with a lethal ground-and-pound combination inside the opening three minutes of the first round.

This was his latest breathtaking performance at Manchester's BEC Arena from the featherweight, a place he has been able to call home since making his Cage Warriors debut in 2021. And if it was his last fight in the promotion - that boasts the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Conor McGregor as its former champions - then it is a fitting way to depart.

Riley had been scheduled to compete for a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series later this month but saw his proposed bout against Argentina's Kevin Vallejos cancelled due to visa complications.

However, the 25-year-old still caught the eye of White in this alternative bout on Saturday night as he was followed by the UFC chief on Instagram just minutes after his devastating clinic.

"Hopefully now they [UFC] will go, 'We'll sign this kid straight now'. I'm on the radar. Let's just see what happens. It's all a waiting game," said Riley of potentially earning a call-up to the UFC after this performance.

"I'm at the stage now there is no point in me taking stupid fights. I'm not going to rush in. I've earned this position, I've done it myself. I'm not going to take any daft fights," he added. "If the UFC doesn't come, I'll happily fight Harry [Hardwick]. Get the money right, the venue right. Me and Harry, let's be honest, it would be the biggest fight outside the UFC - it would sell any venue out.

"That's what's going to happen, let's make it happen. If not, UFC. Whatever comes, I'm just going to wait."