Belal Muhammad is the new UFC welterweight champion after upsetting and outclassing Leon Edwards over five rounds in the main event of UFC 304.
Muhammad pressed Edwards early and often, securing frequent takedowns and back control throughout the 25-minute contest en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Edwards, who won the title from Kamaru Usman two summers ago and defended it twice, was on his back foot or his rear end for most of the fight and despite absorbing limited damage, he was out-paced, out-struck and out-grappled in this rematch of a no-contest from three years ago when Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye.
Although the event took place in England it was catered to a North American viewing audience so the main event did not begin until after 5:30 a.m. local time.
Edwards, Jamaican-born but raised in England, made no excuses to the home fans but said afterwards that his body was feeling tired on fight night. He was not making a timing-related excuse as he also acknowledged he felt that way for most of the past week.
The English fans at the Co-op Live did have plenty to cheer about throughout the night overall, though.
Tom Aspinall had the crowd on its feet when he made quick work of Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event to avenge a previous loss from two years ago that only tarnished his pro record because of a freak knee injury.
The interim heavyweight champion required just 60 seconds to pick up a technical knockout victory over Blaydes, knocking him down with a short jab and quickly pounced with follow-up strikes that went unanswered.
It was the third consecutive knockout or TKO win for Aspinall since his first meeting with Blaydes. None have lasted longer than 73 seconds.
Aspinall is now eyeing a title unification bout with Jon Jones who has been recovering from an injury and preparing for a potential matchup with former champion Stipe Miocic.
UFC 304 marked the UFC’s first trip back to Manchester since 2016 when British mixed martial arts royalty Michael Bisping defended his middleweight title against Dan Henderson at UFC 204.
Bisping was a local hero defending a title on home soil in a rematch that was years in the making that night so fittingly he was one of the commentators on the pay-per-view broadcast alongside Jon Anik and former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
UFC 304 was the 25th event the organization has held in England and its fifth visit to Manchester.
The final five preliminary bouts and the first two main card fights all went the distance but Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett ended that streak and set the crowd ablaze during his main card tilt with Bobby “King” Green.
Fans serenaded Pimblett with chants “Oh! Paddy The Baddy!” as the scouser danced his way to the cage.
Pimblett picked up the biggest win of his career and moved to 7-0 in the UFC by choking Green unconscious in the first round thanks to a slick triangle choke.
“Statement made, bitches!” an excited Pimblett said before issuing a future challenger to Renato Moicano who is scheduled to face Benoit Saint Denis in September.
Arnold Allen got things going for the English fighters on the main card with a unanimous decision win over fellow ranked featherweight Giga Chikadze.
The victory snapped a respectable two-fight skid Allen had been on after he dropped a five-round decision to former champion and current BMF titleholder Max Holloway in a Fight Night main event last year and was narrowly defeated by Movsar Evloev who has yet to lose in the sport.
In other main card action, Gregory Rodrigues extended his winning streak in the middleweight division by sweeping the scorecards and defeating Christian Leroy Duncan who fell to 3-2 in the UFC. Rodrigues has won three in a row over the past year and called for a ranked opponent during his post-fight interview.