The 14-fight UFC 304 card in Manchester, England, was headlined by a pair of title rematches. Belal Muhammad dethroned Leon Edwards to become the new welterweight champion. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall made short work of Curtis Blaydes, making it clear that he is one of the best punchers in the world. To make sense of it all, Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim offer their final thoughts.
The stage was set for Leon Edwards to deliver a spectacular performance. It was early on Sunday morning, with the sun still low, but the fans at the Co-op Live stadium were wide awake and ready to cheer on the spectacle having seen two other local heroes, Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett, score thrilling finishes in the first round.
Edwards didn’t make the home crowd happy, though. It wasn’t simply because he lost his UFC welterweight championship to Belal Muhammad. By the time the decision was read, the sun was rising in Manchester, but the energy in the building had already died down. The main event had largely played out with the challenger in dominant positions on the mat or in clinches, as he racked up more than 12 minutes of control time. Muhammad never seriously threatened to finish, but he gave Edwards few opportunities to put on a strong performance and the British fans little reason to cheer.
This was precisely what Muhammad had said he was going to do. But it seemed unlikely, given that Edwards’ last three fights had all been against strong fighters (Kamaru Usman twice and Colby Covington) and the champion had mostly kept those fights on the feet, where he is most dangerous. Even when Edwards and Muhammad met for the first time in 2021 — in a fight that ended early in the second round as a no-contest after an eye poke left Muhammad unable to continue — Edwards had kept the fight in positions where he could get the better of it.
Not this time. Although Edwards had a great third round, scoring an early takedown and threatening a submission until the end, and although he turned in the final round and landed a late elbow that left Muhammad’s face bloodied, the soon-to-be-dethroned champion was unable to generate consistent offense. His title reign simply fizzled out.
Now Muhammad is the last average fighter to hold a UFC belt, following in the footsteps of fighters like Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, fighters who deliver championship-winning performances but lack the star power UFC brass craves. Muhammad deserves all the praise for this win, but will he get that praise?
The UFC's star-building machine has never welcomed Edwards with open arms. So good luck to Muhammad, who had waited a long time before being given his chance. He had to go on a 10-fight unbeaten streak before landing a date with Edwards. He made the most of it that night, but the stifling style with which he secured his title would have made this fight a bore even if it wasn't taking place in front of his opponent's home fans and in the sleepy hours of the night. –Wagenheim
Will Jon Jones answer Tom Aspinall's phone?
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Tom Aspinall sends a message to Jon Jones after defending his title
Tom Aspinall tells Jon Jones he's better than him after his quick win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Healthy: All Aspinall needed was one minute to avenge the only blemish on his UFC record by annihilating Blaydes. Aside from Ciryl Gane, there is no one else Aspinall can fight who poses a reasonable threat.
Aside from the TKO loss due to injury, Aspinall has taken down the heavyweight division's elite with little resistance. Aspinall's last three fights against Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich and Marcin Tybura have all lasted a total of three minutes and 22 seconds, with none lasting longer than 90 seconds. Aspinall entered the Octagon with an average fight time of 2:10, the shortest in UFC history. The 60 seconds it took him to dispatch Blaydes will extend his lead.
For what it's worth, Jones has every right to ignore the decision and walk away when he presumably defeats Stipe Miocic in November. It likely won't diminish his stature as the best mixed martial artist, considering he has far more to lose than to gain in a fight with Aspinall.
However, if he wants to prove he is still the best fighter in the world, Jones will have to face the toughest challenge of his UFC career against a man who is bigger, faster and more powerful than anyone he has ever shared an Octagon with.
As big as the Jones-Francis Ngannou fight was thought to be, the threat of Aspinall has eclipsed that and made Jones-Aspinall the biggest fight that can be made in the UFC, outside of any Conor McGregor fight.
Paddy Pimblett was always this good
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Paddy Pimblett wakes up Manchester with a big submission win
Paddy Pimblett electrifies the Manchester crowd with an incredible submission victory at UFC 304.
Okamoto: That's how you know Pimblett has done his job when it comes to getting people interested in him: the over-the-top reactions to his performances.
When he beat Jared Gordon, in a fight that many called Gordon the winner, it seemed fans and pundits alike couldn't… wait To get off the wagon. When he failed to finish a veteran like Tony Ferguson, the “overrated” narrative grew. And then, after a (albeit) fantastic submission win over King Green, suddenly social media was flooded with comments along the lines of “Paddy is the real deal”?
The sport as a whole is going way too far off course with every Pimblett performance. What did he do on Saturday that we didn't know he could do? We know he has a dangerous ground game. We know he tends to excel when the spotlight is on. This isn't to downplay his past exploits. It's actually quite the opposite.
It was the best win of his UFC career to date. But why are we treating it like he showed us something we didn't know? I knew Pimblett could perform like this, and I think the UFC knew it too. The top of the division will continue to be tough for Pimblett. It always has been. The question of how far he can go is still up in the air. And maybe for some, this latest performance will prove that it's real, but I was under the impression that we already knew it was.
