Charles Byrd vs. John Phillips added to UFC Fight Night 127 in London

The UFC’s upcoming return to London has a new addition with a pair of promotional newcomers.

It features middleweights Charles Byrd (9-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. John Phillips (21-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC), UFC officials announced via bbc.com.

UFC Fight Night 127 takes place March 17 at The O2 in London. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass, though the full fight card and bout order haven’t been finalized.

Byrd , a 34-year-old Legacy FC vet, makes his official UFC debut after a pair of wins at Dana White’s Contender Series events. At DWCS 1, he choked out Jamie Pickett, and at DWCS 6, he tapped out Randall Wallace. He’s won three straight and five of his past six overall, and the recent wins put him on UFC President Dana White’s radar.

“I love this kid, Byrd, for coming back twice and finishing both times,” White said after DWCS 6. “I respect it, so I’m going to give him a shot.”

Phillips, a 32-year-old Welshman, gets a long-awaited UFC debut after previous bookings were scrapped due to visa issues. He now fights close to home and enters the UFC on the strength of a four-fight winning streak that includes four knockout. In fact, the man who calls himself “The White Mike Tyson” has 21 stoppages (18 knockouts and three submissions) in 21 career victories.

The latest UFC Fight Night 127 lineup includes:

• Leon Edwards vs. Peter Sobotta
• Mark Godbeer vs. Dmitry Poberezhets
• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Paul Craig
• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Alex Reyes
• Jan Blachowicz vs. Jimi Manuwa
• Kajan Johnson vs. Rustam Khabilov
• Charles Byrd vs. John Phillips

For more on UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.