Luke Riley might not be the most familiar name to UFC fans, but he sits in the co-main event spot at UFC London this weekend, and he’s the A-side in his match-up with Michael Aswell Jr.
Undefeated. 12-0. A hot prospect in the featherweight division, coming off a bonus-winning performance in his UFC debut.
In an exclusive interview with Cageside Press ahead of UFC London, we asked Riley to describe what fight camp has been like in one word. He needed three.
“Lonely. Hungry. Focused.”
Focused is a good thing, given the distractions landing such a high-profile spot on a big card could bring for a young fighter. There’s been ample criticism of the move, and Riley recognizes the faith the UFC has shown in him.
“I reckon the company’s put a lot of trust in me. Put their neck on the line, as you could say. A lot of big names on the card, to put me as the co-main speaks a lot,” he stated. “So I think it’s going to be one of them, when look back you’ll understand why they put me as co-main. We’ll see. It’ll be good.”
As to why the promotion trusts him, the British featherweight suggested that “they put their trust in me because they know I’m going to deliver. It’s going to be a good, explosive fight, and it’s going to be one for the fans.”
In Aswell, Riley sees an opponent not dissimilar to Bogdan Grad, who he beat this past November. “He’s tough, strong, game. He’s tough. He’s tough opposition, but same as Bogdan, it’s just not going to be enough.”
There’s another name Luke Riley was supposed to fight however. In 2024, he was booked into a fight with Kevin Vallejos on Dana White’s Contender Series. Visa issues forced Riley out of the fight; Vallejos earned a UFC deal, and last week knocked out Josh Emmett atop the UFC Vegas 114 card.
It’s a fight that should have been, and Riley expects that it will come in time.
“One million percent. Maybe, title or before the title for the top spot in the division,” suggested Riley during this week’s UFC London media day. Vallejos seeing his star rise, meanwhile, “makes it even better for me, because everyone’s on his side now. He’s beat a few more names than me, he got in the UFC in 24, but I should have been in the UFC in 24. So he’s got a little head start but look, don’t worry, me and Kevin are definitely going to meet, one million percent.”
Watch our full interview with Luke Riley above, and find his UFC London media day appearance below.