Allen, Diakiese, Edwards leading UFC's new British guard

After Saturday's UFC Fight Night 107, Michael Bisping will be able to hang up his gloves knowing he'll leave the British MMA torch in good hands.

"The Count" became the promotion's first British champion with a knockout of Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 last June, and has since claimed sole ownership of its win record. Throughout the middleweight king's decorated 10-year run, though, the laundry list of fellow Englishmen who've graced the Octagon have failed to do the motherland even half as proud. Fortunately, the UFC's latest trip to London yielded a few worthy successors to the aging champ.

The card saw three prospects put their respective divisions on notice with solid performances, and while undefeated lightweight Marc Diakiese's monstrous KO of Teemu Packalen may have left a longer-lasting impression, it was featherweight Arnold Allen who flashed the greatest strides in his split-decision win over Makwan Amirkhani in the main-card opener.

The 23-year-old Suffolk native joined the world's pre-eminent promotion in 2015, and thanks to the brilliance of vaunted Tristar head man Firas Zahabi, has made the leap from resilient scrapper to contender-in-the-making. "Almighty" cracked Amirkhani with more than a few lefts, while flashing stout submission defense and slick transitional grappling throughout the fast-paced dance, improving his UFC record to a perfect 3-0.

Zahabi's camp has churned out some of the sport's best in Rory MacDonald and one Georges St-Pierre, and whatever kinks remain in Allen's game will be eradicated before long under his watch.

Further spearheading the UFC's new British guard is Diakiese, whose move to Florida-based camp American Top Team promptly bore fruit with his utter obliteration of Packalen. Sporting downright freaky physical gifts, an immaculate promotional slate of 3-0, and a bottomless well of confidence, "Bonecrusher" has already lapped the Andy Ogles and John Maguires of the world, who couldn't buy a stateside booking and mounted streaky UFC runs opposite mid-tier competition before being shoved into obscurity.

Rounding out the triumvirate of UK blue-chippers is 25-year-old Leon Edwards, who flashed improved grappling in a workmanlike decision over deadly Brazilian counterpart Vicente Luque immediately following Diakiese's second knockout in three fights.

"Rocky" remains susceptible to the occasional mental gaffe, but the strides he's made since joining the UFC as a converted boxer over two years ago have been sights to behold, most notably in his past two bouts. Before wearing Luque down for three rounds, the Birmingham boy put touted Russian prospect Albert Tumenov out to pasture with a third-round tapout at UFC 204 in October. Edwards has now quietly mounted a three-fight win streak and a promotional record of 5-2, and with some new faces beginning to emerge in the welterweight title picture, his efforts to layer his arsenal could soon be met with a boost up the totem pole.

While Allen's consecutive main-card billings - the first an ill-fated date with Mirsad Bektic at UFC 204 - betray the brass' high hopes for his in-cage maturation, Diakiese and Edwards have begun creating their own buzz under the flawless logic that closed mouths don't get fed.

The brash Diakiese has gladly played the heel and made a habit of blatantly disrespecting his opponents during ceremonial weigh-ins, and called for a spot on the promotion's upcoming card in Sweden after his latest fight. As for Edwards, the soft-spoken prospect challenged perennial contender Donald Cerrone to a duel following his win. Given the disparity in their resumes, Edwards' callout will likely be met with crickets, but he's grasped what needs doing to accelerate his climb up a 500-rung ladder.

Now 38, Bisping recently admitted he's not long for the Octagon, but luckily for him and his homeland, there'll be a three-headed monster ready to fill his shoes - to the brim - when he calls it a career.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)