UFC 303 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering.
The promotion was in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, where the T-Mobile Arena played host to a number of intriguing matchups for International Fight Week. Of note were victories for UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, fast-rising featherweight fan favorite Diego Lopes, and undefeated welterweight Ian Garry.
While the aftermath of the June 29 card is currently the talk of the town, it won't be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the light heavyweight title picture to the 170-pound championship conversation.
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At UFC 304, set for the newly built Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on July 27, reigning welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards will make the walk for the first time this year, making his third defense of the gold in a rematch against Belal Muhammad.
There will also be title stakes between familiar opponents in the co-headliner, as interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall runs it back with Curtis Blaydes two years on from his devastating knee injury opposite "Razor" just 15 seconds into their UFC Fight Night main event in London.
Pimblett, Mokaev, Allen Set The Stage For Title Headliners At UFC 304
Before Edwards and Aspinall defend their championships on home soil in the main and co-main events, respectively, a number of other high-profile Brits will take to the Octagon looking to make the post of their position on the major card.
That includes up-and-coming lightweight Paddy Pimblett, who gets his toughest test to date in the form of the #15-ranked Bobby Green. After extending his unbeaten UFC record to 5-0 by getting the better of Tony Ferguson, the Liverpool native has the chance to break through into the top 15 against "King," who most recently outpointed Jim Miller on the milestone UFC 300 card this past April.
Prior to that, Dagestan-born Brit Muhammad Mokaev will look to stake his claim for a first shot at the flyweight gold when he meets former Rizin champion Manel Kape. "The Young Punisher" most recently edged past ex-title challenger Alex Perez at the Apex in March. "Starboy," meanwhile, hasn't competed since a victory at UFC 293 in Sydney last September, with a weight miss and injury subsequently scrapping his two scheduled rematches with Matheus Nicolau this year.
Another local favorite will open the main card, with Ipswich native Arnold Allen looking to get back on track. Following a valiant effort in defeat against Max Holloway in Kansas City last April, "Almighty" fell on the wrong side of a tight and debated decision opposite Movsar Evloev at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada, this past January. To bounce back, Allen must halt the resurgence of striking specialist Giga Chikadze, who most recently returned to winning ways at the expense of Alex Caceres in Singapore last August.
See below for the full UFC 304 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
- Leon Edwards (C) vs. Belal Muhammad (welterweight championship main event)
- Tom Aspinall (C) vs. Curtis Blaydes (interim heavyweight championship co-main event)
- Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett (lightweight)
- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape (flyweight)
- Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze (featherweight)
Preliminary Card:
- Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda (featherweight)
- Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil (women's strawweight)
- Caolán Loughran vs. Ramon Tavares (bantamweight)
- Mick Parkin vs. Łukasz Brzeski (heavyweight)
Early Preliminary Card:
- Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons (welterweight)
- Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)
- Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie (welterweight)
- Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira (women's strawweight)
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Marcin Prachnio (light heavyweight)
