Muhammad wins title in upset victory at UFC 304

In massive upset fashion, No.2 ranked Belal Muhammad displayed relentless pace and wrestling dominance to earn a unanimous decision victory over champion Leon Edwards and claim the welterweight title on Saturday night in Manchester, England. 

From the opening bell, Muhammad pressured Edwards, using his wrestling to secure multiple takedowns and control the fight on the ground. Muhammad's pace proved to cause problems for Edwards, along with his superior cardio which was on full display as he maintained a high tempo throughout all five rounds of the fight. 

Despite Edwards' efforts to keep the fight standing, Muhammad's relentless pressure and ground control were seemingly too much for the Englishman to contend with, and more than enough to convince the judges to score the fight for him.

To a chorus of boos, Belal took shots at the Edwards’ home crowd of Manchester during his post-fight speech.

“It sounds like all the people booing right now have got a lot of tears coming out of their eyes, I see you guys with watery eyes right now. I got my family in here, I got all my family at home. Alhamdulillah, god first always.”

In the co-main event, Interim Champion Tom Aspinall's explosive knockout power was again seen as he secured a spectacular first-round knockout over No. 4 ranked Curtis Blaydes. In the first moments of the opening round, Aspinall put his speed advantage on full display, catching Blaydes with a powerful jab and a devastating right hand that dropped Blades to the canvas. Sensing the opportunity, Aspinall followed him to the ground, overwhelming Blaydes with ground-and-pound strikes and causing the referee to stop the fight. 

This performance once again cements Aspinall as one of the most fearsome knockout artists in the heavyweight division, and who many would argue is the division’s true champion. In his post-fight speech, Aspinall declared his desire to fight the division’s current albeit absent champion, Jon Jones, and unify the belts.

“I just spoke to the boss man… who wants to see Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones?” When asked if he had a message for the sitting champion, Aspinall replied, “Hello Jon! I have nothing against you personally, I just think I’m better than you.”

Paddy Pimblett surprised oddsmakers with an impressive first-round submission victory against Bobby Green, securing the victory via a triangle choke. Throughout the first round, Pimblett and Green went back and forth in a battle of low-kicks until Green decided to shoot in on a single-leg takedown attempt which Pimblett managed to reverse into a triangle choke. Despite Green's attempts to escape, Pimblett was relentless in pursuit of the submission and was able to choke Green out, additionally tying up Green’s right arm in an arm bar as a secondary submission method. This win highlights Pimblett's impressive grappling skill, and solidifies him as a serious threat in the Lightweight division.

Next Saturday, Aug. 3, the UFC will return to Abu Dhabi for a Fight Night event. The card will be headlined by bantamweights Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov, in what many believe to be a No.1 contender fight.