UFC 304 will see the promotion return to Manchester for the first time since 2016 in one of the biggest cards of the year.
Two title fights, fan favourites and a big night for some Irish fighters is what fans have to look forward to in the Co-op Live arena on Saturday.
The main event will see Leon Edwards defend his welterweight belt for the third time, as he faces Belal Muhammad in a rematch of their 2021 bout.
The first time they clashed, the bout ended in a no-contest following an accidental eye poke by Edwards. Since then, not many fans would have predicted how each fighter’s career would play out.
Photo: Sofascore.
After a win over Nate Diaz, Edwards shocked the world when he knocked out Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, before defending his title against Usman and Colby Covington.
For Muhammad, he is unbeaten since 2019, and earned his way to a title shot with wins over Gilbert Burns, Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and Sean Brady.
While Edwards was aggressive in his approach in the first bout, expect him to fight on the outside, and use his striking to his advantage to frustrate Muhammad.
Muhammad will pressure Edwards for five rounds and use his wrestling to bring this fight to the ground. While he may not have knockout power, he will be a difficult task for Edwards, in what should be an interesting match-up.
In the co-main event of UFC 304, Tom Aspinall defends his interim title against Curtis Blaydes, which is also a rematch.
In a rare moment for the UFC, the difficult situation the heavyweight division is in means Aspinall defends his heavyweight title. With Jon Jones injured and waiting for Miocic, in a fight that has not yet been announced, the division is in an awkward position.
The first fight between these fighters in July 2022 ended after 15 seconds when Aspinall suffered a horrific knee injury that kept him out of action for a year.
He responded like a champion does, with a win over Marcin Tybura in London, followed by the interim title against Sergi Pavlovich at UFC 295.
Photo: Sofascore.
For Blaydes, he responded to a KO loss against Pavlovich with a second round stoppage over Jailton Almeida at UFC 299.
Both fighters have good wrestling, and while Aspinall has shown a better submission game, the speed of his stand-up game could be the difference, with seven first round wins in the UFC.
Blaydes has never been submitted, and while he has shown improvements in his striking, he is still seen as arguably the best heavyweight wrestler.
Irish in action
UFC 304 has the potential to be a big night for Irish MMA, with three Irish fighters in action.
In the bantamweight division, Caolan Loughran will be looking to earn his second win over 2024 when he takes on Jake Hadely.
After losing his UFC debut, Loughran responded with a win over Angel Pacheco in March. He was set to face Ramon Tavares, but due to an injury, English fighter Hadley steps up on short notice in what should be an entertaining fight.
Photo: Sofascore.
Speaking to Breakingnews earlier this year, the Tyrone fighter said he wanted three wins in 2024, and hopefully be in the top 15, in what is a very stacked division.
In the women’s straweight division, Shauna Bannon will be hoping to bounce back from the first defeat of her career when she takes on Alice Ardelean.
Bannon made her debut last July in London, but lost a decision to Bruna Brasil. A year later, the former world kickboxing champion will be hoping to show what she in truly capable at the weekend.
Photo: Sofascore.
The Dublin woman was originally scheduled to face Ravena Oliveira, but had to pull out due to injury.
In the welterweight division, the always exciting Kiefer Crosbie takes on Sam Patterson.
Having lost his UFC debut via submission at UFC 293, Crosbie will hope to bounce back against Patterson, who is also an all-action fighter like himself, who is 11-2 in his career and 1-1 in the UFC.
Should all three Irish fighters win, and with finishes, combined with the rise of Ian Machado Garry, a return to Ireland for the UFC could be on the cards for 2025.
Who to watch out for
UFC 304 has big implications for some fan favourites, as Padddy Pimblett takes on King Green on the main card in the lightweight division.
Pimblett is 5-0 since making his UFC debut, and has a huge following not only in Liverpool, but across the MMA community. However, after five bouts, the question still remains what exactly his ceiling is in the sport.
After defeating veteran Tony Ferguson, he faces his toughest test in Green, who defeated Jim Miller at UFC 300.
Paddy Pimblett v Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. Photo: Getty.
Pimblett will attempt to get the fight to the ground, where he will have the advantage and find a way to get a submission. Green will use his boxing and pressure as a route to victory.
A win for Pimblett will see him in the UFC rankings for the first time.
Also on the main card is Arnold Allen, who will look to bounce back from a two-fight losing streak when he faces Giga Chikadze in the featherweight division.
Allen was on an 10 fight winning streak, and must have wondered what he had to do for a title shot, before losses to Max Holloway and Mosvar Elvov.
With the featherweight division looking rather unclear at the moment, a win for Allen would could set up a top five bout.
At flyweight, Muhammed Mokaev continues his quest to become champion when he takes on Manel Kape.
Mokaev has made it clear he wants to become one of the youngest champions in UFC history. His last win was against Alex Perez in May, and will arguably face his toughest challenge in Kape.
While injuries have held him back, Kape is on a four-fight win streak, and a win over Mokaev could make the statement he needs.
Elsewhere, Molly McCann will hope to continue her good start to life at 115 pounds when she take on Bruna Brasil, in her second fight since dropping to flyweight.
Despite the card being in England, UFC fans will still have a long night ahead of them, with the action not getting underway until 1am Sunday.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
