UFC 304: A Night of High-Stakes Rematches and Rising Stars

UFC 304 brought two consequential rematches to Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on July 27, 2024, with the main card extending into July 28 locally. Belal Muhammad took Leon Edwards’ welterweight championship, while Tom Aspinall retained the interim heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes.

Muhammad wins the welterweight rematch

Muhammad defeated Edwards by unanimous decision, receiving scores of 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46. Their first meeting in 2021 had ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke, leaving the sporting question unresolved. This time, five completed rounds produced a new champion.

Muhammad’s pressure and wrestling were central to the win. Edwards had successful stretches, but he could not prevent the challenger from repeatedly controlling where the contest took place. The title change was the evening’s most significant divisional result.

Aspinall settles his unfinished business

Aspinall stopped Blaydes at 1:00 of round one. Their 2022 meeting had ended after Aspinall suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into the bout. The rematch supplied a competitive finish and a successful interim title defense for the English heavyweight.

Paddy Pimblett submitted King Green with a first-round triangle choke, while Gregory Rodrigues defeated Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision. Arnold Allen opened the main card with a unanimous-decision victory over Giga Chikadze, ending his two-fight losing run.

British successes and setbacks on the prelims

Muhammad Mokaev defeated Manel Kape on the preliminary card, rather than the final five-fight main card. Nathaniel Wood beat Daniel Pineda, Jake Hadley defeated Caolán Loughran, and Bruna Brasil won against Molly McCann.

The earlier bouts included victories for Oban Elliott, Modestas Bukauskas, Sam Patterson, Mick Parkin and Shauna Bannon. Those results made Manchester a mixed night for the home contingent, with a retained interim championship alongside Edwards’ title loss. The complete fourteen-fight card below records all the outcomes, including all preliminary contests.

Complete UFC 304 results

• Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards — Unanimous decision, R5, 5:00.
• Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes — TKO (punches), R1, 1:00.
• Paddy Pimblett def. King Green — Technical submission (triangle choke), R1, 3:22.
• Gregory Rodrigues def. Christian Leroy Duncan — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Nathaniel Wood def. Daniel Pineda — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Bruna Brasil def. Molly McCann — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Jake Hadley def. Caolán Loughran — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Oban Elliott def. Preston Parsons — Unanimous decision, R3, 5:00.
• Modestas Bukauskas def. Marcin Prachnio — Submission (arm-triangle choke), R3, 3:12.
• Sam Patterson def. Kiefer Crosbie — Submission (arm-triangle choke), R1, 2:50.
• Mick Parkin def. Łukasz Brzeski — KO (punches), R1, 3:23.
• Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean — Split decision, R3, 5:00.

Sources

• UFC 304 official main-card results
• UFC 304 official preliminary results
• UFC 304 official judges’ scorecards
• UFC 304 complete card and event background

Sources: ufc.com

Tags

MMA, Combat Sports