The UFC went back across the pond for another highly anticipated pay-per-view: UFC 304.
The United Kingdom was where Saturday’s fight night went down — and championships were up for grabs. The event was headlined by a rematch years in the making between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad as Edwards put his welterweight title on the line. The co-main event saw Tom Aspinall defending the interim heavyweight championship in his home country against Curtis Blaydes. In total, there were 14 bouts that made up an exciting night for a raucous English crowd.
Here is a recap of all the results and top highlights from UFC 304:
UFC Welterweight Championship — Leon Edwards (c) vs. Belal Muhammad: result
Leon Edwards’ eight-year unbeaten streak is no more.
Belal Muhammad wasted no time going after the champion with a takedown of Edwards just 20 seconds into the fight. Edwards was able to recover and land some body shots. Muhammad got his own strikes in before he took Edwards down again in what was a great opening round for the challenger. Edwards struggled in the second round as Muhammad had complete control with several takedowns against the octagon.
The champion turned the tide in the third round when he had Muhammad on the ground and attempted a rear-naked chokehold on him while in a solid lock of the legs for nearly all of the round. The fourth round started off with Edwards landing strikes but Muhammad retook the momentum, setting up a make-or-break final round for Edwards.
Edwards’ corner told him he needed urgency and a finish in the fifth round, but Muhammad didn’t let his control of the match go. He secured another takedown and played the long game. Edwards got the offense going in the final seconds and Muhammad was cut bad, but Edwards ran out of time before the fifth round ended.
Muhammad secured the victory by unanimous decision and was emotional celebrating the victory, becoming the first person to beat Edwards since 2015.
UFC Heavyweight Interim Championship — Tom Aspinall (c) vs. Curtis Blaydes: result
The interim champion performing close to home does it in quick fashion.
It took less than a minute for Tom Aspinall to defend his title with a first-round knockout. He landed a solid left-handed punch that took Curtis Blaydes down, and he unleashed a full assault on top of the challenger. The referee stopped the match and Aspinall retains his championship in the city he grew up next to.
Aspinall called out Jon Jones as his next challenger, saying he has nothing against him but ‘knows’ he’s better than the heavyweight champ.
King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett: result
It may be early in the morning in Manchester, but the crowd was ready to root Paddy Pimblett to victory.
And he delivered.
Pimblett quickly took down King Green after he tried to get on offense and did a mixture of submissions on his opponent. He got in a guillotine followed by a triangle choke, and just as he transitioned into an arm bar, Green was put to sleep and the referee called the match after seeing Green completely out of it.
It is the eighth consecutive victory for Pimblett and his UFC record is now 6-0 as he quickly climbs up the ranks.
Paddy Pimblett makes hyped entrance
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues: result
It didn’t take long for Gregory Rodrigues to try to do some ground work on Christian Leroy Duncan. Duncan knew his opposition would try it and he handled it perfectly to end the first round without much damage to him. The second round was more strike based than the first, with Duncan trying to land some flying elbows. Rodrigues was able to adjust his game and both of them were bleeding pretty good by the time the horn went off.
There was lots of blood dripping out of both competitors as Rodrigues got another takedown in the final minutes, making it a complete mess on each other and inside the octagon. The match ended without much flair but Rodrigues emerged victorious by unanimous decision. He nearly doubled Duncan in landed strikes (79-40) and he recorded four takedowns, outclassing his opponent in dominant fashion.
Ben Roethlisberger and UFC?
If you thought you’d go through the day without hearing about Ben Roethlisberger’s third down miscues, think again.
After the first fight of the main card, ESPN randomly showed this graphic of the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback several times. People on social media were questioning why it was shown and how, considering Roethlisberger retired in 2021.
Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze: result
Plenty of strikes landed between the two competitors as they tried to get a feel of the match early on, with every hit qualifying as a significant strike in the first round. The second round was more of the same with hits that were getting the crowd hyped, and the fighters each had a cut on their face by the end of it.
The fight appeared even heading into the final round, each fighter trying to make the case for a victory if it came down to the judges. They both put up some worthy strikes, but Allen landed significantly more blows in the final round, and that likely was the winning round for him as he took the victory by unanimous decision in a brilliant first bout of the main card.
Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda: result
The fight nearly ended just minutes in when Daniel Pineda got caught sleeping and Nathaniel Wood landed a perfect kick to the head. Pineda went down and Wood had a chance to go for the knockout, but Pineda quickly recovered and kept him at bay.
Wood landed a fantastic strike to Pineda’s head that cut him just above his right eye, and he was checking on the injury several times afterward. Wood then went for the lower body and the strikes landed perfectly, putting Pineda in a tough position to overcome. His eye had a gnarly bruise by the end of the second round. Pineda knew he needed a miracle to win in the third round. While he did control the third round in a surprising effort, it wasn’t enough to change the result; Wood won by unanimous decision.
Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil: result
The home crowd was pulling hard for Molly McCann but she took a big strike and an accidental groin shot a minute into the contest. A few minutes later, she took a knee to the body that took her down, and a kick just moments later did the same thing. Brasil tried to go in for the kill but McCann didn’t go down quickly; she improvised and stayed alive through the rest of the round.
McCann recorded a takedown in the second round and while nothing came of it, she had more attack than she did in the opening round. Since Brasil dominated the majority of the match, McCann tried a last-ditch effort in the final minute to secure a comeback victory, but it was unsuccessful. It was a win by unanimous decision for Brasil, an impressive effort by someone that had to deal with the crowd backing McCann.
Jake Hadley vs. Caolan Loughran: result
Jake Hadley had himself an efficient opening five minutes of this fight with 30 of his 38 first-round strikes marked as significant hits, focusing on the lower body of Caolan Loughran. In the second round, Hadley took an inadvertent groin strike that put a stop to the action for a moment.
Loughran’s takedown game was no match for Hadley, who countered nearly all of his opponent’s attempts and asserted control of the match. Hadley won by unanimous decision in a result that was easily decided.
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape: result
The animosity between these two fighters before the bell even rang made the entire arena electric. The hype died down in the opening round with each fighter very patient, forcing the referee to tell them to do something several times.
Mokaev tried a takedown in the second round but he clearly grabbed Kape’s shorts, and the referee called a timeout and scolded Mokaev for what he attempted. Even with the stoppage, Mokaev had a productive second round. One of Kape’s toes was noticeably bothering him but he refused medical attention.
Kape had a nicely executed takedown in the final round in an attempt to lock a guillotine choke, with Mokaev landing strikes as he tried to get out of it. Once he did, each fighter just threw everything at each other. Neither was able to get a stoppage before time expired, but it looks like they’ve put their hate for each other to bed, both of them embracing afterward.
It was a unanimous decision victory for Mokaev; he outperformed Kape in nearly every statistical category and controlled the pace of the fight the entire way.
Muhammad Mokaev, Manel Kape try to start fight early
There’s no love lost between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape.
The two tried to take each other out before Bruce Buffer could say each of their names, forcing security to get between the two inside the octagon.
Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons: result
The first round was pretty tame with neither fighter landing anything significant, but the action picked up in the second round when Elliott was able to take control on the ground even though Parsons attempted to initiate for the majority of the second frame.
The bout appeared to be tied before the third round, and each fighter needed to make the case for them to get the win from the judges, but Elliot won by unanimous decision, thanks to his outstanding defense on takedowns while landing the most significant strikes.
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio: result
Marcin Prachnio had control of the bout early but Modestas Bukauskas connected on a punch that resulted in his opponent losing his balance, completely changing the momentum of the contest just before the first round ended. The same exact sequence happened in the second round, and again Prachnio was able to recover and avoid defeat.
Bukauskas got a takedown late in the second round, the first of his UFC career. However he wasn’t able to gain any advantage on the ground, and the second round ended without much happening.
Prachnio started the third round with a flurry of punches that landed, only for Bukauskas to get another takedown to kill the advantage. It looked like things were stalling for a few minutes, but the long play paid off; he was able to get his arms wrapped for an arm triangle and Prachnio tapped out with less than two minutes left in what was a thrilling contest.
Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie: result
Another quick finish, this time by submission.
Sam Patterson landed quality strikes on Kiefer Crosbie before he took him down. It was clear Crosbie didn’t have much time left, and Patterson got the arm triangle executed. Crosbie tapped out to give Patterson his seventh win by submission in 12 victories.
Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski: result
This one didn’t need the entire first round to finish as Mick Parkin got a knockout victory in his home country.
After three minutes of feeling each other out, Parkin got his golden chance when he landed an over-the-top right hand on Lukasz Brzeski’s head. After that it was blow after blow from the England native. Brzeski backed into the cage and was dropped, and that was all the referee needed to see to end the bout.
Shauna Bannon vs. Alice Ardelean: result
Shauna Bannon landed some early strikes but Alice Ardelean surprised her opponent with a takedown. Ardelean has yet to win by submission and she wasn’t able to do much on the ground, but Bannon countered with an arm bar attempt that nearly connected. Ardelean recovered with neither fighter able to take advantage in the first round.
The second round started like the first with Bannon successfully landing strikes, including a combination attack. Ardelean got another takedown but there wasn’t much done. The third round was much more strike-based and Ardelean was cut. Bannon landed some quality strikes, yet none were enough to take out Ardelean and the fight came down to the judges.
Bannon won by split decision. Even though Ardelean had the takedowns and no submission attempt was officially recorded, Bannon landed 130 strikes − with 60 significant hits to the head − while Ardelean had only 76 strikes.
When is UFC 304?
Early prelims: 6 p.m. ET.
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET.
Main card: 10 p.m. ET.
UFC 304 live stream
Early prelims for UFC 304 can be streamed via the UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+. The prelims will air on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The pay-per-view card can be purchased via ESPN+.
How much is UFC 304 PPV?
The main card of UFC 304 is $79.99.
Where is UFC 304?
UFC 304 will take place at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
UFC 304 fight card
Main card
UFC Welterweight Championship: Leon Edwards (c) vs. Belal Muhammad
UFC Heavyweight Interim Championship: Tom Aspinall (c) vs. Curtis Blaydes
Lightweight: King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
Prelims
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda
Women’s strawweight: Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil
Bantamweight: Jake Hadley vs. Caolan Loughran
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
Early prelims
Welterweight: Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons
Light heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
Welterweight: Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski
Women’s strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Alice Ardelean
UFC 304 odds
Odds according to BetMGM
UFC Welterweight Championship: Leon Edwards (-275) vs. Belal Muhammad (+225)
UFC Heavyweight Interim Championship: Tom Aspinall (-400) vs. Curtis Blaydes (+310)
Lightweight: King Green (-110) vs. Paddy Pimblett (-110)
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan (-135) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (110)
Featherweight: Arnold Allen (-250) vs. Giga Chikadze (+195)
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood (-450) vs. Daniel Pineda (+333)
Women’s strawweight: Molly McCann (-350) vs. Bruna Brasil (+275)
Bantamweight: Jake Hadley (+195) vs. Caolan Loughran (-250)
Light heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas (-165) vs. Marcin Prachnio (+135)
Welterweight: Oban Elliott (+140) vs. Preston Parsons (-165)
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev (-190) vs. Manel Kape (+160)
Welterweight: Sam Patterson (-500) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (+350)
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin (-550) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (+400)
Women’s strawweight: Shauna Bannon (-190) vs. Alice Ardelean (+160)
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad: Tale of the tape
Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes: Tale of the tape
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