Tom Aspinall Shines While Leon Edwards Fails at UFC 304
In a thrilling night at UFC 304 in Manchester, Tom Aspinall showcased his prowess by knocking out Curtis Blaydes to retain his interim heavyweight title, while Leon Edwards suffered a significant defeat, losing his welterweight championship to Belal Muhammad. This is prepared by SSP.
Aspinall, fighting out of Wigan, needed just one minute to overcome Blaydes with a precise one-two combination that floored the American. This victory allowed Aspinall to avenge a previous loss to Blaydes from 2022 and brought him closer to a dream match against Jon Jones, the current but injured titleholder expecting a return in a defense against Stipe Miocic later this year.
In contrast, the main event witnessed Leon Edwards, who had retained his welterweight title impressively against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington last year, lose his belt to American Belal Muhammad. Muhammad outperformed Edwards, securing a unanimous decision victory. This clash marked a rematch of their 2021 fight, which ended in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke by Edwards.
Muhammad, 36, dominated the bout through superior grappling, breaking Edwards' 12-fight winning streak. This was evident on the scorecards, reflecting a clear victory with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. Edwards later admitted feeling "tired" throughout the fight, attributing his sluggish performance to the unusual fight timing set to cater to the American audience.
The event, notable for being the largest UFC show on English soil and held at the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live arena, also saw energetics highlights like Paddy Pimblett sparking excitement with his early-morning performance. Despite Edwards' loss dampening spirits, Pimblett's bout and Aspinall’s rapid victory kept spectators engaged.
Other highlights included Liverpool's Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett submitting Bobby Green in the first round. However, fellow Liverpudlian Molly McCann was defeated by Bruna Brasil on points, rounding out a historical but mixed night for British fighters.
