The Co-op Live Arena will host its first sporting event as the UFC comes back to Manchester to showcase UFC 304. The Main Event shows a rematch with unfinished business as UFC Welterweight Champion, Leon Edwards, defends his title against the #2 contender, Belal Muhammad. In the Co-Main Event, Tom Aspinall defends his Interim UFC Heavyweight title against the #4 contender, Curtis Blaydes. Here is everything you need to know before an anticipating English event.
Both English champs put gold on the line this weekend 🏆🏴
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2024
[ #UFC304 | Live on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET/7pmPT ] pic.twitter.com/d7UpPZdr4T
Early Prelims
Shauna Bannon vs Alice Ardelean (UFC Women's Strawweight Bout) - Bannon made her UFC debut in her last fight, but did not do enough to win as she lost by unanimous decision to Bruna Brasil at UFC London. Mama B was undefeated with five victories, two of those ending by TKO. An opportunity of redemption arises for the Irish fighter as she looks to claim her first win in the organisation.
Ardelean makes her UFC debut on short notice after Ravena Oliveira had to pull out of her fight due to an injury. The Romanian has seven stoppage wins out of nine MMA wins with her last bout ending victoriously with a first-round submission win. Ardelean is currently on a five-fight winning streak and she could increase that to six with a victory in the biggest MMA organisation.
Mick Parkin vs Lukasz Brzeski (UFC Heavyweight Bout) - Parkin remains undefeated in his MMA career with nine wins after earning an unanimous decision win over Mohammed Usman at UFC Vegas 89. The Englishman is still yet to find a finish in the UFC as all of his three wins with the MMA company have ended by unanimous decision. It's been one year since Parkin debuted in the UFC, and with his first appearance in a PPV event, he may look to make the crowd go wild with a stoppage win.
Brzeski redeemed himself at UFC Vegas 90 when he defeated Valter Walker by unanimous decision, stopping his three-fight losing streak. The Bull doesn't often go to the scorecards as eight of his 10 victories have ended with a stoppage win. The Poronin-born fighter needs a victory to keep his dreams alive of staying with the UFC as his first win for the organisation came in his most recent fight.
Sam Patterson vs Kiefer Crosbie (UFC Welterweight Bout) - Patterson redeemed his knockout loss at UFC 286 with a first-round submission win at UFC 297 against Yohan Lainesse. The Future is dangerous both on the feet and on the ground as he has earned four KO/TKO and six submission wins out of his 11 MMA career wins. With such a big triumph in his last fight, you would think that Patterson will carry that momentum and shine in front of his home fans.
Crosbie made his debut at UFC 293, but it did not end kindly as he lost by first-round submission to Kevin Jousset. Before his disappointing defeat, BDK had earned two consecutive first-round KO/TKO wins which boosted him back up to the big leagues after suffering two first-round losses at Bellator MMA. The Irishman will be keen to improve from his last fight and try to give Patterson another nightmare at an English UFC event.
Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape (UFC Flyweight Bout) - Moakev remained to be unbeaten in his MMA career after an unanimous decision win over Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87, making it his 12th victory of his career. In all of his PPV appearances in the UFC, he has successfully ended them in the third round by submission as The Punisher has proven to be a great wrestler with incredible cardio. A win at UFC 304 for the #6 Flyweight contender could see him fight for the title next, depending on the outcome of his battle.
Kape is currently on a four-fight winning streak with his last fight ending by unanimous decision against UFC debutant, Felipe dos Santos, at UFC 293. Starboy may have not earned a finish since December 2021, but he has stopped 16 of his 19 conquered opponents with 11 KO/TKO and five submission wins. The #8 Flyweight contender could be next to face Alexandre Pantoja, if he can become the first fighter to defeat Mokaev.
Oban Elliott vs Preston Parsons (UFC Welterweight Bout) - Elliott made his debut at UFC 298 with a promising unanimous decision win over Val Woodburn. The Welsh Gangster currently stands on a six-fight winning streak which started in May 2022, when he was fighting with Cage Warriors. A win for the Welshman could put him a step closer to the Welterweight rankings and he may fight a more experienced UFC fighter in his next bout.
Parsons went back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 84 when he defeated Matthew Semelsberger by unanimous decision. Pressure has only had four fights in the UFC with two wins and two losses as he looks to have a positive record with the organisation. With his only decision wins coming in the UFC, Parsons will aim to get his first finish and possibly his 10th submission victory in MMA since he is very dangerous on the ground.
Preliminary card
Modestas Bukauskas vs Marcin Prachnio (UFC Light Heavyweight Bout) - Bukauskas last fought at UFC Sao Paulo where his his four-fight winning streak would come to an end with a second-round knockout loss to Vitor Petrino. The Baltic Gladiator has proven to be dangerous on the feet as nine of his 15 wins have ended by KO/TKO. The Lithuanian will look to get back in the win column and try to equal his losses in the UFC as he only has three wins in seven fights with the promotion.
Prachnio earned some redemption at the UFC APEX when he defeated Devin Clark by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 86. The Polish mixed martial artist has only won two of his last four fights as he has been struggling to pick up stoppage wins, ever since he entered the UFC. A win for Prachnio could set his sights on an opportunity to be in contention for a spot in the Light Heavyweight rankings, if he is victorious in Manchester.
Jake Hadley vs Caolan Loughran (UFC Bantamweight Bout) - Hadley has not been fortunate in his last two fights, losing by unanimous decision to Cody Durden at UFC Nashvillle and Charles Johnson at UFC St Louis. Despite losing three times in his career, White Kong has never been stopped as he has earned eight stoppage wins out of his 10 MMA victories. Redemption could not come at a better time as he won his last fight in an English PPV at UFC 286, he could just do the same at UFC 304.
Loughran redeemed his UFC debut loss with an unanimous decision victory over Angel Pacheco at UFC Atlantic City. The Don has caused a lot of problems in the Bantamweight division, earning five KO/TKO and two submission wins, while never been finished in his MMA career. A stoppage win at the Co-op Live Arena could really boost the Irishman near the Bantamweight rankings.
Molly McCann vs Bruna Brasil (UFC Women's Strawweight Bout) - McCann did the unthinkable in her last fight and earned her first submission win of her MMA career, defeating Diana Belbita at UFC Vegas 85. Meatball looked to be flying towards the Flyweight rankings in 2022 when she earned two outstanding knockout wins at UFC London, but her move to Strawweight seems more promising. If the Liverpool-born fighter earns a finish in her second Strawweight bout, she may have just entered the rankings and put the division on notice.
Brasil last fought at UFC Vegas 86 where she came up short, losing by unanimous decision to Loma Lookboonmee. The Special One has only had three fights in the UFC, only winning one of those bouts which came against Shauna Bannon at UFC London. The Brazilian can be just as good on the ground as she is on the feet as she looks to pick herself back up in enemy territory.
Nathaniel Wood vs Daniel Pineda (UFC Featherweight Bout) - Wood came up short in his last fight, losing to Muhammad Naimov by unanimous decision at UFC 294 which stopped his three-fight winning streak. The Prospect has not earned a finish since the beginning of his UFC career when he earned a submission victory in his first three fights. A lot of fans do believe that the London-born fighter will reach the Featherweight rankings very soon and a win in Manchester could put him one step away from achieving just that.
Pineda last fought at UFC Vegas 74 where he would lose by unanimous decision to Alex Caceres. The Pit does not like to see his fights got the distance as all of his 28 victories have ended with a stoppage win, nine by KO/TKO and 19 by submission. Pineda has only won once in his last four fights as he will need to find a redeeming win at UFC 304.
main card
Arnold Allen vs Giga Chikadze (UFC Featherweight Bout) - Allen fought in early 2024 where he came up short against Movsar Evloev, losing by unanimous decision at UFC 297. Almighty was on a 10-fight winning streak in the UFC with his last two victories ending by TKO against the likes of Dan Hooker and Calvin Kattar. The Ipswich-born mixed martial artist is currently on a two-fight losing streak, with his other loss coming against Max Holloway, as he looks to win big in his home country.
Chikadze returned from injury after 20 months to earn an unanimous decision win over Alex Caceres at UFC Singapore. Before his unanimous decision loss to Calvin Kattar, Ninja had earned three consecutive KO/TKO wins against Jamey Simmons, Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza. The Georgian currently sits at #10 in the Featherweight rankings, but a win will boost him up near the top five.
Christian Leroy Duncan vs Gregory Rodrigues (UFC Middleweight Bout) - Duncan began his winning streak at UFC Vegas 87 when he defeated Claudio Ribeiro by second-round TKO. CLD has only had 11 fights in MMA and has only lost once which came by a decision, plus he has finished nine of his 10 conquered opponents. With him currently being on a two-fight KO/TKO winning streak, you may expect another one as Duncan has earned eight knockout wins in his MMA career.
Rodrigues earned an impressive third-round TKO win against Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 86. Robocop's last five victories have ended by KO/TKO as he has been seen as a dangerous knockout artist in the Middleweight division. The Brazilian has looked very close to entering the rankings and with another knockout win to his name, he could just be the next contender at 185 pounds.
Bobby Green vs Paddy Pimblett (UFC Lightweight Bout) - Green last fought at UFC 300 where he would put on a dominant display and earn an unanimous decision win over Jim Miller. King Green has been fighting with the UFC since 2013 and has not been shy from facing tough competition, fighting former or current champions such as Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson. The #15 Lightweight contender aims to defeat a fighter with a lot of hype and potential in enemy territory and begin another winning streak with the organisation.
Pimblett remains undefeated in the UFC after picking up an unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. The Baddy is both dangerous on the feet as well as on the ground with six of his 21 wins coming by KO/TKO, and nine ending by submission. The Liverpool-born fighter has the biggest opportunity of his career to enter the Lightweight rankings and let the top contenders know that there is a big star on his way towards the top.
Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes (UFC Interim Heavyweight Title Bout) - Aspinall became the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion in his last fight after he knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in the first round on 17 days' short notice at UFC 295. The Salford-born mixed martial artist has only gone to the second round three times in his MMA career as all of his victories have ended with a finish. Aspinall has been eyeing to face Jon Jones at some point in his career and a win in his hometown will make that wish finally come true.
Blaydes redeemed a knockout loss with a second-round TKO win against rising star, Jailton Almeida, at UFC 299. Razor Blaydes has been in the Heavyweight rankings for a long time and has defeated many greats of the division, such as Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Junior Dos Santos. The #4 Heavyweight contender will look to make the most of his first title shot with a victory and try to remain as the only fighter to defeat Aspinall in the UFC.
Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad (UFC Welterweight Title Bout) - Edwards last defended his Welterweight title at UFC 296 where he would defeat Colby Covington by unanimous decision. Rocky has been unbeaten in his last 13 fights and has looked more impressive as his streak continues. The UFC Welterweight Champion's last fight with Muhammad ended in a no contest at UFC Vegas 21 as he tries to show that he can defeat him in the rematch and earn his third successful title defence.
Muhammad last fought at UFC 288 where himself and Gilbert Burns fought on 16 days' notice as he earned an unanimous decision win. Remember The Name has been unbeaten in his last 10 fights with seven of those bouts ending by unanimous decision as he can take a fight very comfortably towards the judges scorecards. The #2 Welterweight contender looks to make the most of his first title shot and become the new King of the Welterweights in enemy territory.
Who will be glorious in the rematches of the Main Event and Co-Main Event? What are your predictions?
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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