Leon Edwards will defend his UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) welterweight title for the third time on Sunday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester.
The last time the UFC was in Manchester, a British champion headlined before a raucous crowd, with Michael Bisping closing out the show at Manchester Arena by successfully defending his middleweight title against long-time rival Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 204.
PREVIEW
Rivals Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad face off for a second time in the UFC 304 main event, this time with the welterweight title hanging in the balance.
Home-favourite Edwards will be defending his title for the second time in Britain. His only loss from his first fight against Muhammad in March 2021 was a no contest. He enters this weekend’s all-important bout with a staggering 13-fight win streak. In their previous meeting, “Rocky” triumphed over Colby Covington with ease at UFC 296 thanks to a 49-46 total score.
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Muhammad has been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete for the title since defeating Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 288 in May last year, extending his five-fight winning streak. The Chicago native, who is adept at using his speed and conditioning as weapons, will plan to open the fight aggressively against Edwards.
The co-main event involves another high-profile rematch. Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes’ fight for the interim heavyweight title is also a rematch of an earlier, unfinished fight.
Aspinall snatched the title defeated the huge Russian to win the interim title in New York last November. His sole loss occurred when he sustained a non-contact knee injury during his first encounter with Blaydes in London during the summer of ‘22. He is currently 7-1 inside the Octagon, with all of his victories coming inside the distance.
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