Dana White is working on a contingency plan for UFC London in case Volkov is banned from the UK over the Russia-Ukraine war

DANA WHITE is working on a contingency plan in case Alexander Volkov is unable to headline UFC London later this month.

The former Bellator Heavyweight Champion meets rising Brit Tom Aspinall in the promotion’s long-awaited return to the UK.

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However, Volkov’s participation in the map is extremely doubtful after the British government’s crackdown on Russian nationals and countries involved Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

White told SunSport during the ufc 272 Press Conference: “We are working on it. London happens.

“The co-main event of this [card] broke down this week and we fixed it. We’re pretty good at that.”

Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Priti Patel announced last week that Britain had begun canceling visas for teams and athletes from nations linked to Putin’s invasion of Russia’s neighbors.

She tweeted: “I canceled the visas of the Belarusian men’s basketball team that was due to play in Newcastle tomorrow night.

“Britain will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of #Ukraine.”

but White it is currently unknown whether or not Volkov will be granted entry into the UK.

He said: “Off the top of my head I don’t know where we are with that now [right now.] Yes I do not know.

“We’ve obviously been working on it since this whole thing started.”

Volkov isn’t the only Russian at risk of not fighting on the UFC’s first European card for almost three years.

Timur Valiev is set to take on Wales’ Jack Shore, while heavyweights Shamil Abdurakhimov and Sergei Pavlovich will go head-to-head.

The UFC has not set foot in the UK since March 2019, and their final show before the outbreak of the pandemic was dominated by a welterweight showdown between Darren Till and BMF Jorg Masvidal.

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After announcing the return of the promotion, White said: “Anytime we host an event in London, it’s an incredible experience.

“The fans are amazing and the fights are always off the charts.

“It’s a different kind of energy in England. And I can’t wait to get back there with a battle map on March 19.”

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