UFC 304

Review

The welterweight division has a new champion. The UFC 304 review, now for you on CORNER.

Belal crowns himself WW Champ

The long wait is over

When Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad met last Saturday, it was the first welterweight title fight without Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington involved since March 2019. This shows us that an era is changing in the welterweight division.

While it was Edwards' fourth title fight, Belal Muhammad had his first chance to win gold in his weight class.

The fight started ideally for the challenger. In rounds 1 and 2, Muhammad managed to gain center stage and force Edwards to the cage. Edwards didn't seem bold enough in this early phase of the fight and was more focused on defense. Especially in round 2, Muhammad landed some good combinations, almost always followed by a takedown. Edwards struggled and lost the first two rounds quite decisively.

In round 3, the tide turned. Edwards suddenly appeared fitter and came out of the break more active. He was able to repeatedly ring Muhammad and wrestle him to the ground. While everyone was expecting a different fight, the UFC 304 main event fell back into its old ways from round 4 onward. Suddenly, Muhammad was back on the attack, taking center stage and making Edwards' responses to his takedowns look extremely outdated. Belal entered the final round with a 3-1 lead.

Edwards' coaching corner knew that a knockout was needed for their protégé to win. However, the picture didn't change. Muhammad again pushed Edwards to the cage and brought him to the ground. Just 30 seconds before the end of the fight, Edwards exploded again.

Too late, Muhammad fully deservedly secured the unanimous decision victory and is the new Welterweight Champion. While Belal extended his winning streak to 11 consecutive wins, Edwards' 13-fight winning streak came to an end, losing his first fight since 2015.

Aspinall is in a hurry, Paddy passes the endurance test

Tom Aspinall with another show, Paddy the Baddy lives up to his hype

In the co-main event, interim champion Tom Aspinall faced heavyweight veteran Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall has an average fight time of 2 minutes and 2 seconds, making him known more than almost anyone else for his fast finishes. And that was no different last Saturday. Both fighters initially gained distance, and after just a minute, Aspinall landed a powerful left-right combination, knocking Blaydes to the ground. After several unanswered strikes on the ground, referee Marc Goddard called a halt to the fight. And still for Aspinall , who now has seven first-round finishes in the UFC and collected the $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

The second bonus went to another local hero: Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett . In his first real test against the No. 15 lightweight contender, Bobby Green, Pimblett made a great impression, taking Green down in the first round and applying a triangle choke until he fell asleep after a long fight. A fantastic performance from the Brit, who thrilled the fans in Manchester.

Other victories on the main card went to Gregory Rodrigues (U-Decision) and Arnold Allen (U-Decision) .

Wie geht es weiter?

Muhammad's victory reshuffles the cards in the welterweight division. Possible challengers for the new champion are Shavkat Rakhmonov or Islam Makhachev, with the former being the most likely option for a new title shot.

It's difficult to predict how Edwards will shape his future. A rematch will likely be difficult for him, as his and Belal's fighting styles are simply too boring.

In the heavyweight division, things are easier. Aspinall's victory means there are now four big names in what many call the "king's division."

Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Alex Pereira, and Tom Aspinall. Dana has these names to choose from. Who exactly will face whom is still unclear. The most likely outcome is a first-ever duel between Jones and Miocic for gold in November.