At 6am on Sunday morning in England, while most Brits were fast asleep, dedicated UFC fans were packed into Co-op Live in Manchester to watch the hometown champions defend their belts.

It was a night of thrill and agony for English fans, as they witnessed the highest of highs and lowest of lows for some of their favorite fighters.

In the main event, Belal Muhammad, surging on an 10 fight unbeaten streak, clashed with hometown champion Leon Edwards in their second fight, after their first contest was ruled out due to an unintentional eye poke. Edwards, coming off of an even more impressive 13 fight streak, seemed to have the makings of a long-time Welterweight Champion. A crisp kickboxer who has displayed fantastic takedown defense against the best wrestlers in the division, Edwards seemed like the perfect foil to Muhammad, who’s relentless pressure and grappling made him primed for title contention for a long time.

When Muhammad finally got his opportunity to take a shot at the gold, he delivered in dominant fashion.

Through five rounds of fighting, Muhammad would take down Edwards nine times for an impressive twelve minutes of control. Edwards had his own moments in the fight, a reversal of position in round three that left him on Belal’s back, and a final round that ended with him landing elbows on the bloodied contender in top position.

The best highlights of the fight though, belonged to Muhammad, who dumped Leon on his head time after time, leaving many at home and in attendance wondering if they were watching the absolute best wrestler in all of MMA.

Belal’s win marks the first time a fighter of Palestinian descent has won UFC gold. He takes the belt back to his hometown of Chicago where he will ultimately gear up for a title defense against one of the divisions contenders, whether it be former champ Kamaru Usman, Kazakhstan sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov, or the surging Jack Della Maddalena.

10 IN A ROW FOR @BullyB170 🚨

Belal Muhammad in the new KING 🏆#UFC304 pic.twitter.com/4Ne8E7qYfM

— UFC (@ufc) July 28, 2024

The English fans in Manchester didn’t leave empty handed though, as earlier in the night, two of their own notched massive wins. 

Interim Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinal proved why many believe him to be the consensus best fighter in the division, despite not owning the undisputed title currently held by an injured Jon Jones, when he knocked out #4 ranked Curtis Blaydes in sixty seconds to retain the belt.

It was a jab from Aspinal that dropped Blaydes early in the first round, and his nonstop ground and pound that followed proved to be too much to handle.

Aspinal currently holds the shortest fight time in the UFC … And it seems like nobody, potentially not even the sports greatest fighter ever in Jon Jones, can stand in his way. Aspinal’s unbelievable combination of speed and power puts him above the rest of the division by miles, and if Jones doesn’t retire after his fight with Stipe Miocic later this year, the pair could be en route to a fight for the ages for the Heavyweight strap.

There was another big win for the hometown crowd that night, as Paddy Pimblett, known for his bombastic and animated personality, scored the biggest win of his career over King Green. 

Pimblett shushed the naysayers who criticized him for his rhetoric and issues with weight when he scored a submission spectacularly in the first round via triangle choke, adding in an armbar that looked like it may have broken Green’s arm.

Green, who recently changed his legal name from Bobby to his nickname “King”, talked a big game leading up to the fight, but seems to have taken the loss graciously and claimed no excuses in defeat.

Other highlights from the card included Arnold Allen notching a decision win against Giga Chikadze, and “Robocop” Gregory Rodrigues earning a decision as well against Christian Leroy Duncan.

Brief controversy followed the event, as UFC President Dana White announced that Flyweight prospect Muhammad Mokaev would not have his contract renewed, despite earning a victory that very night and staying undefeated.

Jacob Smith

7/30/2024

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