Leon Edwards defends his UFC welterweight championship against Belal Muhammad in the main event of the UFC 304 dual-title fight on Saturday in Manchester, England. The other championship fight also features an English champion, Tom Aspinall, defending his interim heavyweight belt against Curtis Blaydes.
Edwards (22-3, 1 NC) is unbeaten in his past 13 fights, most recently beating Colby Covington by decision in December in his second 170-pound title defense. Edwards is No. 3 in ESPN’s men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC) is unbeaten in 10 straight fights. His most recent win was more than a year ago, a decision over Gilbert Burns in May 2023. Muhammad is No. 3 in ESPN’s welterweight rankings.
Aspinall (14-3), ranked No. 1 in ESPN's heavyweight rankings, has won two straight fights, most recently a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in November that earned him the interim title. Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC), ranked No. 3, is coming off a second-round stoppage of Jailton Almeida in March.
What are the storylines behind UFC 304's top fights? How do the experts analyze them? What do the fighters have to say? Here's the fight card, how to watch it, and a roundup of all the UFC 304 essentials.
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How to watch fights
Watch the PPV and all other fights on ESPN+: Get ESPN+ here.
Watch the prelims on ESPN2. Download the ESPN app | ESPN2 | WatchESPN | TV Schedule
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There is also FightCenter, offering live updates for every UFC card.
UFC 304 fight card
(c) = defending champion | (ic) = defending interim champion
Edwards and Aspinall lead the golden generation of English MMA
Two decades after the UFC’s first event in England, the country boasts two champions: welterweight king Leon Edwards and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who will fight this Saturday at UFC 304 in Manchester (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV). Plus, England’s future is bright with the next wave of prospects poised to become stars, such as Paddy Pimblett and Dakota Ditcheva, among others. Through it all, its inspirations and opportunities may come back to an Englishman who pulled off an upset while dealing with his father’s poor health.
Today, the region is arguably one of the most highly developed countries in terms of MMA talent in the world.
Hale and Okamoto: How the golden generation of English MMA came to be
Can Edwards and Aspinall deliver to your home?
With two title fights, a raucous crowd and plenty on the line across a 14-fight card, UFC 304 figures to be packed with drama in Manchester, England. (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV)
England's Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall will attempt to defend their titles (welterweight and interim heavyweight, respectively) against contenders Belal Muhammad and Curtis Blaydes. Both bouts will serve as rematches, although the previous two fights revealed much about the outcome of Saturday's festivities.
Add to that 13 fighters representing the UK inside the Co-op Live arena and you have a potentially electrifying experience for fight fans. But questions remain: Will the British stars be able to shine on the biggest stage? How will the unusual time slot (the main card kicking off at 3am) affect the fighters? What implications will the big fights have for the sport’s other top stars?
UFC 304 Story Rankings
Betting experts and coaches take an in-depth look at UFC 304
Andreas Hale spoke with ESPN analyst and former UFC welterweight Alan Jouban to get his perspective on the UFC main event. ESPN betting expert Ian Parker adds insight and analysis on the main event and other interesting bets he likes from the card.
Hale and Parker: Expert predictions and best bets for UFC 304
Our data model analyzes UFC 304 title fights
What do the analysts say about upcoming championship fights like the two featured at UFC 304? Should a fighter like Belal Muhammad be considered a favorite against a puncher like Leon Edwards? Does a rematch hurt or help current champion Tom Aspinall?
Using predictive models independent of the betting lines, we examine how each champion's matchup looks from a favorability perspective. Essentially, is this a good matchup for the champion or the challenger? The input data considers each fighter's performance metrics inside the Octagon and selects factors about the fighter outside the cage. The higher the score, the more favorable the matchup is for the defending champion.
These scores don't indicate how to bet on the fight, but rather evaluate relative preference, from the riskiest matchup to the best.
Kuhn and Parker: UFC title matchup projections
