Unfinished MMA business will be settled at UFC 304. Two of the biggest rematch fights in recent memory will take place, both of which are coming after premature endings the first go around.
Some of the biggest stars in the sport will head to the octagon this weekend, and in this article, we will explain everything that you need to know about UFC 304.
When and where is UFC 304?
There have been 100 UFC pay-per-views since the company had an event in Manchester, England. UFC 304 will be the first event there since UFC 204 back in 2016. The Co-op Live will be where the action takes place on Saturday, July 26.
English fans are die-hards, and that will be evident at UFC 304 because fans attending the fights in person will be watching them at brutal times in an effort to make the fights more accessible to American viewers.
The early prelims will be at 6:15 p.m. ET, and the prelims will be at 8 p.m. ET. For in-person viewers, that equates to 11:15 p.m. BST/1 a.m. BST. The main card is at 10 p.m. ET, but for fans at the Co-op Live, the main card will start at 3 a.m. BST.
How to watch UFC 304
For viewers who can't attend in person, you can watch the early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and the prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The main card will be available exclusively through PPV purchase via ESPN+.
Date: Saturday, July 26 | Time: 10 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: Co-op Live — Manchester, England
How to watch: ESPN+ pay-per-view (main card)
Odds: -235 Leon Edwards
UFC 304 fight card
Main card:
Welterweight: Leon Edwards (C) vs. Belal Muhammad, title bout (main event)
Heavyweight: Tom Aspinall (IC) vs. Curtis Blaydes, title bout
Lightweight: King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
Featherweight: Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
Prelims:
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda
Women's strawweight: Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil
Bantamweight: Caolan Loughran vs. Ramon Taveras
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski
Early prelims:
Welterweight: Oban Elliot vs. Preston Parsons
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
Welterweight: Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie
Women's strawweight: Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
Light heavyweight: Modestas Bukaauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio
Main event
Many of the UFC 304 fights will include English fighters, including the main event. Leon Edwards, the current champion, fights out of Birmingham, England. With a 22-3 record, Edwards has a nearly flawless record. He had one loss to his name before coming to the UFC, and he lost his promotional debut in 2014 to Claudio Silva. Edwards lost a year later to his rival Kamaru Usman, but he hasn't lost since.
The Welterweight Champion has gone nearly a decade without losing, and he is currently riding a 13 non-losing streak. The only one of those fights that wasn't ruled a win, though, was his fight against Belal Muhammad at the UFC Fight Night on March 13, 2021. The bout was ruled a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammed in the eye.
Edwards has since gone on to become champion, and he even redeemed his loss against Usman with back-to-back wins against the welterweight who has a case as the best fighter ever in the division. Muhammed has been on an impressive run of his own, too.
Muhammed, nicknamed “Remember the Name,” is on a 10-fight non-losing streak of his own. While he isn't the most popular fighter for the MMA fan base, he is certainly deserving of a title shot.
Edwards, on the other hand, is one of the best strikers in the UFC has ever seen, and he has become a fan favorite. He has a calculated approach and incredible precision with both punches and especially with kicks. His knockout kick against Usman, which won him the belt at UFC 278, will forever be remembered as one of the best knockouts in UFC history.
A third title defense for Edwards would establish the welterweight as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, regardless of division. Meanwhile, a Muhammad win would be one of the biggest upset victories in recent memory, and it would certainly throw a wrinkle into the UFC's plans for the welterweight division.
Co-main event
The main event won't be the only fight featuring an English champion looking to capture a win in a rematch fight. Tom Aspinall, the interim belt holder at heavyweight, is viewed as one of the most talented fighters in his division in UFC history. Aspinall has unmatched speed for a heavyweight, but his power and grappling are up there with the best of the big boys, too.
His only UFC loss came 15 seconds into a fight with Curtis Blaydes at the UFC Fight Night on July 23, 2022. The loss did not come at the hands of Blaydes. Instead, Aspinall blew his knee out at the beginning of round one, and the potentially entertaining fight was stopped just as it got going.
Aspinall has since won the Heavyweight Interim Championship as Jon Jones recovers from injury, and he will look to redeem the only blemish on his UFC resume in a rematch against Blaydes. Their second matchup is sure to be much more of a fight than the first bout.
Blaydes won't be an easy foe for Aspinall, even considering that the Interim Champion has looked unstoppable since his injury. He landed some impressive shots in the opening seconds of their first fight, and he is arguably the best grappler in the heavyweight division.
The bout will be the rare fight for an interim belt. In fact, a fighter has only defended an interim title twice before. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Renan Barao have both defended an interim title, and Barao last did that over 11 years ago.
The heavyweight division has a lot of question marks right now. Jones is likely to face division GOAT Stipe Miocic for the championship upon the former's return from injury, but the latter hasn't fought since March of 2021. It is a legacy fight that the company wants to happen though, because Jones' is the greatest UFC fighter ever.
As an up-and-coming star, Aspinall needs to stay active, so he will have to defend his interim belt before getting a chance at undisputed gold. Things will become even murkier if Blaydes is able to pull off a victory and become the Interim Champion.
Regardless, the co-main event fight between Aspinall and Blaydes is sure to be entertaining. The first fight between the two left fans with more questions than answers, but loose ends will be tied up in the second go-around between the number one and four ranked heavyweights.
Main card
Paddy Pimblett is another English fighter who will square off at UFC 304. Pimblett has become a fan favorite over the last couple of years due to his funny personality and unique look. With long hair and a tendency to not follow a strict diet after fights, Pimblett is not you average fighter. But he always delivers in the octagon.
The 21-1 fighter is undefeated in the UFC, but he will be facing his toughest challenge yet in King Green. Green, formerly known as Bobby Green, changed his name just weeks before his fight in the land of royalty. Green will be Pimblett's first-ranked opponent.
One of the longest-tenured fighters in the UFC, Green is still fighting with an aggressive style, and he is still doing it at a high level. Green is set to hit the 50-fight threshold against Pimblett, and he has won three of his last four fights despite all of the damage he has taken over the years.
While Paddy “The Baddy” is still a big name in the sport, he hasn't looked as dominant in his last two fights as he did at the start of his UFC journey. A win against a consistently ranked fighter like Green will be huge in potentially landing Pimblett a spot in the top 15, though.
Another fight on the main card will be between Mohammad Mokaev and Manel Kape. The flyweight bout will have huge implications for the division, as the two fighters are ranked sixth and eighth, respectively. Mokaev, who is only 23 years old, is undefeated in MMA. The 12-0 fighter could earn a title shot if he beats Kape.
The first fight on the main card is between Arnold Allen and Giga Chikadze. Allen came out of the gates hot in the UFC with 10 straight wins, but he has since lost his last two fights. He will need a bounce-back victory to get back into the title picture, but that won't be easy against Chikadze, considering the fighter from Georgia has won eight of his last nine fights in his own right.
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