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Scott Askham: It Will Be an Honor to Share a Card With Silva and Bisping

Scott Askham is facing one of the most crucial fights of his career when he meets Chris Dempsey on February 27 in London, but he still can't wait to sit among the crowd and watch two of his all-time favorites clash in the main event.
Photos by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

It will take Yorkshire's Scott Askham longer to travel to London than it did for him to journey to Dublin for his last bout, but there is no shaking the British middleweight's excitement ahead of his first UFC test in his home country.

Like always, the two-time BAMMA middleweight champion will be joined by scores of his supporters in the English capital on February 27. 'Scotty Askham's Barmy Army' rivaled the infamously vocal Irish fans when the middleweight fought in Dublin in October and judging by their performance in Ireland, they will definitely add some color to the occasion in London.

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The object of the fun-loving legion's affection carries the same optimism as them. While some focus on the pressure of fighting at home, instead Askham expects the night to be "really fun". Particularly, the rangy Englishman cannot wait to hear the reception he gets when he walks out in the 02.

"I don't think of it as pressure, I think it's going to be really fun," said Askham. "Having that support is a big factor. I was on the opposite end of it when it when I fought in Sweden. I fought a hometown guy there. I can't wait for my music to hit the speakers and to walk out in front of that crowd. It's going to be a really big thing for me."

But that isn't the only thing that Askham is looking forward to in London.

Like anyone who has made his or her way to the top table of the sport with UFC, Askham was a big fan of the MMA movement before he began to compete. Two men who have had a massive impact on his career will meet in the UFC London main event, and Askham seems as excited as anyone else about the much-anticipated headline bout between Anderson 'The Spider' Silva and Michael 'The Count' Bisping.

"Both of those guys are fighters that I've looked up to throughout my career. It was probably around the time that Michael Bisping was in The Ultimate Fighter that I really started to get addicted to UFC. To see a British guy on that show, and then for him to win was a big deal for me. To watch what he's done in the UFC since then has been absolutely amazing.

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"I think he's got the most wins in the history of the middleweight division, and that's an unbelievable achievement for a guy that went across from the UK. I actually bought tickets to see him fight back at UFC 89 in Birmingham. He's always been someone that I've liked to watch.

"Anderson Silva is another guy I've always tried to emulate. He's a southpaw like myself and he has the most unbelievable striking technique. I've really tried to my whole fighting game on him. For those two to be meeting on this card is fantastic for all of the fans. Obviously, I've got to go with my fellow Englishman to win, but it's going to be an awesome contest."

"It's a really great honor to share a card with them. I've literally only been telling my family and friends about that. I really can't stress how big that fight is. The English fans are very lucky to have got two big names like that in the main event. I can't wait to sit down and watch it myself to be honest," he explained.

Coming up on the wrong end of the split decision loss to Krzysztof Jotko in Dublin has led Askham to believe he has a lot to prove in his bout against Chris Dempsey in London. While the American is famed for his wrestling background, Askham is adamant that he will stop at nothing to prove that he belongs on the roster of the world's flagship MMA promotion.

"I don't mind fighting wrestlers, I'm used to guys coming in and trying to grab my legs at this stage. I'm going to have to be very aware and use my footwork to create some decent angles. I'll be looking to avoid them takedowns by putting the pressure on him and making him uncomfortable. I'm well able to finish him and I can see his desperation to take the fight to the ground opening the gaps for the stoppage.

"With Chris, I don't want to look past him and I'm not underestimating him, but he's been put away twice and he's been put away twice early. I'm not hiding away from what I need to do here. I need to get that winning momentum back on my side and the way to do that is by putting Dempsey away in style.

"I'm going out there to make a statement. I've got to show what happened against Jotko is just a once off. I'm going to prove that UFC is where I belong and start moving up them rankings."