Muhammad suffocates Edwards to claim welterweight title

Belal Muhammad is the new welterweight world champion after defeating home favourite Leon Edwards via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 304 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on the morning of Sunday 28 July 2024.

Muhammad was superior on the feet and striking throughout the match and scored no less than nine takedowns to suffocate the champion with relentless pressure through five rounds and claim a deserved 48-47 48-47 49-46 win on the judges’ score cards. “I’m Belal Muhammad, I’m my own man. Now the world knows it, now the world respects it, I’m the world champion,” said the victor after the fight.

The co-main event even saw Manchester favourite Tom Aspinall defend his interim heavyweight title in emphatic style, stopping Curtis Blaydes just a minute into their fight.

Aspinall knocked his opponent off his feet with a heavy jab and followed it up with a flurry of strikes on the ground to force a stoppage “I had nothing against him personally, but I needed to put that to bed.

"And thank God I got my revenge,” said Aspinall, referring to a TKO defeat against Blaydes when he suffered a major knee injury second into their first fight in 2022. The Englishman went on to call for a unification title fight with heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

The rest of the main card featured a hugely popular first-round submission win for Liverpool cult hero Paddy Pimblett over Bobby Green in the lightweight division; Gregory Rodrigues outpointed Christian Duncan in a middleweight clash; and the featherweight opener saw Arnold Allen overcome Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision.

The UFC continues next weekend with a Fight Night at the Etihad Area in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, headlined by a clash between Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov.

UFC 304 – Main card results

- Main event: Welterweight championship: Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47 48-47 49-46), R5, 5:00

- Co-main: Interim heavyweight championship: Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO (punches), R1, 1:00

- Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett def. Bobby Green via submission (triangle choke), R1, 3:22

- Middleweight: Gregory Rodrigues def. Christian Duncan via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00

- Featherweight: Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00