(MENAFN- mslgroup) UFC® returns to Manchester on Saturday, July 27, with two UK champions defending their belts. UFC® 304: EDWARDS vs MUHAMMAD 2 is the first sporting event at Manchester’s Co-op Live, as welterweight champion Leon Edwards headlines against long-time rival Belal Muhammad in a highly anticipated rematch. The co-main event sees interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall go up against no.4 ranked Curtis Blaydes two years on from their first encounter.
UFC® 304: EDWARDS vs MUHAMMAD 2 tickets go on sale from 10 a.m. BST on Friday, June 7 via Ticketmaster. Fight Club members can purchase tickets early at 9 a.m. BST on Wednesday, June 5, whilst fans who register their early interest will gain priority access at 10 a.m. BST Thursday, June 6.
Reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3, fighting out of Birmingham, United Kingdom by way of Kingston, Jamaica) will once again defend his title on home turf after defeating Kamaru Usman in London in March 2023. Edwards is undefeated in his last 13 bouts (12-0-0, 1NC), including a dominant title defence over Colby Covington in December.
Belal Muhammad (23-3, fighting out of Chicago, United States) has risen to the top of the welterweight rankings, having remained undefeated for the past five years, and he looks to continue his impressive five bout win streak. This will be his 19th UFC appearance, with his most recent being an impressive decision victory over Gilbert Burns in May 2023. Known for his immense cardio and constant pressure, Muhammad holds five wins by knockout and one via submission.
Manchester’s own Tom Aspinall (14-3, fighting out of Salford, England) is one of the most exciting athletes on the UFC roster, securing every victory by finish, including a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to claim the interim heavyweight title in November 2023. Aspinall’s lone UFC loss was via injury against Blaydes in London in July 2022 and the Mancunian will be looking to level the score in front of a home crowd for his first title defence.
Curtis Blaydes (18-4-0, fighting out of Naperville, United States) is known for his dominant fighting style, with 13 knockout victories under his belt. In March, he stopped Jailton Almeida in his tracks and made it 13 wins in his last 17 bouts. Blaydes holds wins over Alistair Overeem, Aleksei Oleinik and Junior Dos Santos.
Additional bouts on the card include:
• An entertainer inside and outside the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett (21-3, fighting out of Liverpool, England) will be taking on the no.15 ranked lightweight Bobby Green (32-15-1, fighting out of San Bernardino, United States).
• Undefeated flyweight Muhammad Mokaev (12-0, fighting out of Manchester, England) takes on the well-rounded Manel Kape (19-6, fighting out of Luanda, Angola), who has won his last four bouts.
• One of the UK’s brightest talents, Arnold Allen (19-3, fighting out of Ipswich, England) faces Giga Chikadze (15-3, fighting out of Tbilisi, Georgia) in what should be an electric featherweight bout.
• Looking to continue her winning momentum, Molly McCann (14-6, fighting out of Liverpool, England) faces Bruna Brasil (9-4-1, fighting out of Paranavai, Brazil) who signed to the UFC after impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series.
• Searching for her first UFC victory, Shauna Bannon (5-1, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) takes on Brazilian Ravena Morais (9-2-1, fighting out of Miguel Calmon, Bahia, Brazil) in what should be an exciting bantamweight bout between two strikers.
• Two bantamweights looking for a second win this year go head to head, as Caolan Loughran (9-1, fighting out of Tyrone, Ireland), faces Ramon Taveras (10-2, fighting out of Duval County, United States).
• Entertaining featherweights collide as Nathaniel Wood (20-6, fighting out of London, England) squares off against Daniel Pineda (28-15, fighting out of Dallas, United States), who has secured finishes in all 28 of his victories.
• Undefeated heavyweight Mick Parkin (9-0, fighting out of Sunderland, England) faces Lukasz Brzeski (9-4-1 fighting out of Zakopane, Poland) who secured his first UFC victory in April.
• Looking for his second UFC win in the UK, Christian Leroy Duncan (10-1, fighting out of Gloucester, England) takes on Polish striker Robert Bryczek (17-6 fighting out of Bielsko, Biala, Poland).
• Winning his UFC debut in February, Oban Elliott (10-2, fighting out of Stroud, Wales) faces Preston Parsons (11-4 fighting out of Jacksonville, United States) who has secured nine of his 11 wins by submission.
• Highly technical light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas (15-6, fighting out of London, England by way of Klaipeda, Lithuania) matches up against Marcin Prachnio (17-7 fighting out of Warsaw, Poland), who holds six career wins in under two minutes.
• Englishman Sam Patterson (11-2-1, fighting out of Watford, England) goes head to head with Irishman Kiefer Crosbie (10-4 fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) in an exciting bout between two well-rounded mixed martial artists.
MENAFN03062024004993016390ID1108288990
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.