The octagon will return to the UK this weekend as UFC 304 emanates from the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday night. Headlined by two championship fights, this pay-per-view card is loaded with exciting matchups and some of the best fighters in the world.
Having quickly become one of the biggest stars in the sport, the welterweight champion and England native will defend his title against a very game challenger who has waited a long time for his shot. Plus, the interim heavyweight crown will be on the line in a showdown between two heavy hitters and two fan-favorite lightweights will meet to put on a show.
Lightweight bout: Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
There are few fighters in the game today as fun to watch as Bobby Green. His trash talk and antics perfectly accompany his pinpoint striking and lightning fast hands. That has all added up to a 32-15 record with 11 knockouts and nine submissions. Coming off of a decision win over Jim Miller in April, Green is looking to establish some momentum here. And a win over Paddy Pimblett would certainly do exactly that.
Pimblett, on the other hand, will just look to keep on rolling as the hometown favorite will be coming into this fight on a seven-fight winning streak. Sporting a 21-3 record with nine submissions, Pimblett has become a crowd-pleaser in his own right. This UK crowd will certainly be firmly in his corner, creating what should be an electric atmosphere for this fight. That will likely work to the benefit of both fighters though and we could see a fight of the year candidate here. It will be interesting to see if Pimblett is willing to strike with Green though. He may look to take this fight to the floor.
My pick: Green via decision
Heavyweight Championship bout: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes
While Jon Jones keeps the true heavyweight crown on the shelf, Tom Aspinall will defend his interim belt in his home nation. Aspinall sports a 14-3 record with 11 knockouts, including one against Sergei Pavlovich in November that earned him the interim title. Aspinall is a big time power puncher who can ned a fight in a hurry, as is evidenced by the fact that he has not seen a second round since 2021. He has only lost one fight since 2016, and that came because of an unfortunate knee injury just 15 seconds into the contest. His opponent in that bout was none other than Curtis Blaydes.
Blaydes is every bit the knockout artist that Aspinall is. He boasts an 18-4 record with 13 knockouts, including wins over former champions like Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos. Coming off of a stunning victory over Jailton Almeida in March, Blaydes is primed to finally capture the gold that has eluded him thus far in his career. Throw their first meeting out the window, this is going to be an exciting showdown. It might simply come down to who can land a punch first. Don’t blink.
My pick: Blaydes via first round knockout
Welterweight Championship bout: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
The welterweight division has a strange history of dominant champions. Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre ran the class in the early days. Then it was Kamaru Usman who put on record-setting performances. Now, it seems Leon Edwards is primed to keep that trend going. However, there is a challenger in his way here who has been waiting a long time for the title shot he deserves.
Edwards shocked the world when he knocked out Usman to capture the title in 2022. Then, when they had their rematch the following year, many fight fans (myself included) picked Usman to take the title back. He did not. Then Edwards looked dominant when he defended the belt a second time against Colby Covington later that year. It all adds up to a 22-3 record 12-fight winning streak for the champ. A prolific striker, Edwards can pick any opponent apart on the feet. And while he definitely wants to keep the fight on the feet, he has proven he is no slouch in the grappling game either, which is a skill he’s going to need to prove again in this main event.
This is not the first time Belal Muhammad will step into the octagon with Edwards. The two face off in 2021 in a bout that was unfortunately stopped due to an accidental eye poke and dubbed a No Contest. Since that fight, all Muhammad has done is win five in a row against some of the best fighters in the division. That has brought his record to 23-3 and finally earned him a shot at the title. Muhammad is a world-class grappler who prides himself on being able to control his opponent in the octagon. To this point, it has worked against the likes of Gilbert Burns, Vicente Luque and Stephen Thompson, just to name a few. It’s no secret Muhammad will be looking to grab hold of Edwards and bring him to the mat. That is easier said than done of course and it will be interesting to see how well Muhammad can hang around in the striking game and whether or not he can close the distance.
My pick: Edwards via decision
UFC 304 will be held Saturday, July 27 at 10 PM ET. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.