Fight Coverage
THE BIGGER PICTURE | UFC 304
Examining The Major Takeaways From Saturday’s Captivating Pay-Per-View In Manchester
There was plenty to talk about coming out of Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday night, so let’s get right into it.
Persistence Pays Off
Belal Muhammad waited 1233 days to get his hands on Leon Edwards for a second time and from the very beginning of their UFC 304 welterweight championship main event in Manchester, it was clear that the challenger had no intention of squandering his opportunity.
Fighting with a tremendous sense of urgency right out of the chute, the 36-year-old Palestinian-American took the fight to the champion, depositing him on the canvas early and often, keeping him off-balance for the majority of the contest en route to a unanimous decision win.
UFC 304: Main Card Results | Prelim Results | Official Scorecards
The victory extended the new champion’s winning streak to six and unbeaten run to 11, both of which are testaments to the persistence Muhammad has shown throughout his UFC career.
He’s not lost a fight since the opening event of 2019, when he dropped a decision to Geoff Neal, and has happily taken every assignment that has been placed before him, believing that if he just kept winning, his opportunity had to come. After his first meeting with Edwards ended with an awful eye poke, Muhammad picked himself up, dusted himself off, and beat five straight ranked opponents to cement his standing as the No. 1 contender, forcing even those with an aversion to his approach to acknowledge the merits of his championship candidacy.
There was no switching camps, no deviating from what works best for him; just continued commitment to putting in the work necessarily to make himself undeniable as a contender and then to wrest the title away from Edwards in his own backyard.
For all the time we spend fawning over highlight reel finishes and fighters with massive social media presences, there is still something to be said for competitors that just go out and handle business; comfortable in who they are, confident in their skills, and content to take the slow and steady road to the top of their respective weight classes.
Earlier this year in the Coach Conversation ahead of Max Holloway’s BMF title win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick talked about how there is nothing worse than being stuck in the Octagon with someone that wants to punish you for every single second they can, discussing how that kind of beating is far more demoralizing than getting caught clean and knocked out.
Belal Muhammad Post-Fight Press Conference | UFC 304
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Belal Muhammad Post-Fight Press Conference | UFC 304
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That has always been what Muhammad wants to do and he was largely successful at implementing that style again on Saturday in Manchester.
He went after Edwards right away, surprising him with improved striking before starting to manhandle him along the fence, and each time Muhammad got him down, it chipped away at the champion’s resolve and confidence until he was left standing dejected in the corner, watching the new champion celebrate with his team and his family.
UFC 304 Full Post-Fight Press Conference
This felt like a “one and done” opportunity for Muhammad, who had to navigate one of the more daunting slates in order to finally land this championship fight, and made the most of it, bringing the title back to Chicago and ensuring that, like it or not, everyone will forever be forced to remember his name.
A Greater Fighter, An Even Greater Man
Tom Aspinall continued to show that he is the best active heavyweight on the UFC roster, successfully defending his interim title with a first-round stoppage win over Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event.
It was a swift and devastating performance for the Atherton native, whose only misstep in the Octagon, pun intended, came in his first meeting with Blaydes two years ago when he suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the contest. In avenging that defeat and doing so in rapid fashion, Aspinall extended his winning streak to three and his record to 7-1 under the UFC banner, with each of those victories coming inside the distance and only one of his fights lasting beyond the opening round.
As impressive as his performance against Blaydes was on Saturday night, it’s the way that Aspinall carries himself at all times that truly stands out the most about the heavyweight standout.
When asked to send a message to Jon Jones following his win, Aspinall made it clear that he has no animosity or grievance with the all-time great, saying that he believes himself to be the best fighter on the planet and wants nothing more than the opportunity to prove that by sharing the Octagon with “Bones” in a title unification bout.
Tom Aspinall Octagon Interview | UFC 304
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Tom Aspinall Octagon Interview | UFC 304
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On top of that, the humble everyman continued the messaging he began following his win over Sergei Pavlovich last year at Madison Square Garden, once again encouraging everyone watching to be willing to take the scary chances life puts before them because great things could happen.
The proud family man, who has been coached by his father Andy throughout his career, is the antithesis of the preening, spotlight-obsessed athletes that dominate today’s sporting landscape.
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He spoke at his post-fight media availability about using his platform to speak more about autism and helping to positively impact that community, which he and his family count themselves a part of, and he was arguably more chuffed that his pal Mick Parkin picked up a first-round knockout and $100,000 bonus for his win over Lukasz Brzeski than he was about pocketing a little something extra for himself by handily dispatching Blaydes and holding onto his interim heavyweight title.
Aspinall is an ideal candidate to serve as one of the faces of the promotion and a class act through-and-through, and it’s impossible not to be happy to see someone like be successful.
No More Moving Goalposts
Love him or hate him, you’ve got to give it up to Paddy Pimblett.
The rambunctious Scouser bopped his way into the Octagon to his usual “Lethal Industry / Heads Will Roll” mashup looking sharp in his signature orange trunks and then proceeded to punish King Green for an ill-advised and generally sloppy takedown attempt midway through the first round of their main card pairing by diving on his neck and ultimately putting him to sleep.
Paddy Pimblett Post-Fight Interview
After first latching onto a guillotine choke, “Paddy the Baddy” quickly shifted tactics, transitioning to a triangle choke that got deeper and deeper the more Green tried to search for a way out. When the 29-year-old from Liverpool rolled onto his back and looked to add an armbar to the mix, it proved unnecessary, as the veteran lightweight had already slipped into a momentary nap.
Throughout his steady march up the lightweight rankings, folks have been waiting for Pimblett to falter, sure that at some point along the way, the boisterous lad with the shaggy hair would meet his match, catch a loss, and be proven to be more style than substance. While it hasn’t always been as emphatic or dominant as some would like, Pimblett has continued posting victories, and Saturday night in Manchester, he made it so that no one can question his place in the division any longer.
While revisionist history buffs will want to talk about Green’s age, number of career setbacks, and myriad other things in order to still try and diminish what Pimblett has accomplished, the fact of the matter is that the 47-fight veteran was stationed at No. 15 in the rankings heading into the contest, has fought an outstanding strength of schedule throughout his UFC career, and had won three of his last four heading into the weekend’s featured bout.
Pimblett has always been a sniper when it comes to his submission attacks, and he looked considerably calmer and more settled in the Octagon in the initial stages of his fight with Green than he has in the past.
He’ll take his rightful place in the Top 15 when the rankings update later in the week, and should no longer have to listen to questions about his legitimacy as a threat in the lightweight division after becoming the first person in the UFC to submit Green.
Well done, lad.
Quick Hitters
Gregory Rodrigues is the kind of all-action fighter every division needs multiples of, and he continues to make a push towards the rankings in the middleweight division. He was too much for Christian Leroy Duncan to handle on Saturday in Manchester, and might be best positioned as a dangerous litmus test promising emerging talents in the 185-pound ranks need to pass in order to work into the Top 15.
Arnold Allen halted a two-fight skid with a much-needed, gritty win over Giga Chikadze in the UFC 304 main card opener. Things that are beyond his control seemed to conspire against the Suffolk native as he put together his 10-fight winning streak, and after a couple setbacks, it’s nice to see him get things moving in the right direction again.
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Nathaniel Wood had to be wondering what it was going to take to get Daniel Pineda out of there on Saturday night, as the Great Britain Top Team man hit the veteran featherweight with everything but the kitchen sink and still could not get him to stop battling back. Still, the new dad got himself back in the win column to move to 4-1 in the division and maintain his place in the next tier of talent stationed just outside the rankings.
Bruna Brasil appeared to be on her way to a first-round stoppage win as she battered the midsection of Molly McCann. Despite not getting the finish, the Fighting Nerds representative looked much improved since her February loss to Loma Lookboonmee in collecting the biggest win of her career in Manchester.
Jake Hadley deserves a shout for turning a short-notice opportunity up a division into a quality effort that halted a two-fight slide, as the Dana White’s Contender Series alum out-worked Caolan Loughran en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Sam Patterson continues to make a case for being an intriguing name to track in the welterweight division after picking up his second straight first-round submission win on Saturday. The towering former lightweight made it look by dragging Kiefer Crosbie to the canvas, after doing the same to Yohan Lainesse in January at UFC 297.
Mick Parkin took another step forward in his progression as a promising heavyweight prospect over the weekend, collecting his first stoppage victory inside the Octagon. The Team Fish Tank fighter and occasional training partner of the interim champion rocked, swarmed, and finished Lukasz Brzeski early in the night to move to 4-0 in the UFC and 10-0 for his career.
And with that, I’m out.
See you again after UFC 305.
UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 took place live from Co-op Live in Manchester, England on July 27, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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