This will make it harder to forget the name.
Belal Muhammad did what many thought was impossible and defeated Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion Leon Edwards by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 304 on Saturday night at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Muhammad was used to backing Edwards up with his jab and taking him down with a high-crotch single leg. Edwards looked lethargic, but he made Muhammad dangerous in the third round and near the end of the bout, cutting the challenger with a powerful elbow. Every other moment, the former champion was outshone by the disciplined Chicago native, capping off his 10-fight winning streak with UFC gold.
Aspinall avenges fortuitous defeat
Tom Aspinall had his eye on Jon Jones and didn’t let Curtis Blaydes get in his way.
The interim heavyweight champion avenged his loss to Blaydes two years ago due to a knee injury, defending his belt in the co-main event with a first-round knockout (1:00).
“Hey John, I have nothing against you personally, but I know I can beat you,” Aspinall said in his post-match interview.
Paddy the Buddy issues statement
Paddy Pimblett recorded the most impressive victory of his career, submitting Bobby Green with a triangle choke armbar in the first round (3 minutes 22 seconds) of their lightweight clash.
There was a lot of anticipation surrounding this bout, as Green was hoping to put an end to Pimblett’s streak. With a ranking on the line, Pimblett made a strong impression in front of a cheering nation. Pimblett tormented Green with kicks to the calf early on, eventually taking him to the ground. As Green squirmed, he applied tighter and tighter chokes. By the time Pimblett transitioned from a triangle choke into an armbar with a hyperextended elbow, Green was asleep.
“Robocop” wins again
Gregory “Robocop” Rodriguez (16-5) put former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Christian “Leroy” Duncan on the Paddy Wagon after the latter put in a dominant, well-rounded performance to win by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Despite Rodriguez’s grappling background, the 32-year-old once again showed he can dominate a fight with his striking, keeping his cool after suffering a nasty cut and landing some clean elbows and punches on Duncan.
Allen overcomes tough odds to win
Arnold Allen was on the brink of winning the featherweight title before consecutive losses to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev, but the Briton returned to being a favourite with a tough win over the dangerous Giga Chikadze (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Allen decided against his corner’s wishes to fight the former kickboxing champion instead of wrestling. This decision nearly cost Allen the fight after he was hit with a powerful knee in the first round. However, Allen never lost faith and proved he could hold his own against the talented striker. He successfully countered Chikadze’s kicks and dominated the center of the Octagon. Chikadze (15-4) landed some solid shots off his back foot, but he was constantly on the move and couldn’t land any offensive moves that would keep Allen at bay. After a back-and-forth battle, Allen’s (20-3) aggressiveness and forward momentum earned him his first win since October 2022.
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