Tom Aspinall knocks out Curtis Blaydes but Leon Edwards loses title at UFC 304
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Tom Aspinall defended his temporary heavyweight title by quickly defeating Curtis Blaydes on Saturday, while Leon Edwards surrendered the welterweight belt to Belal Muhammad in the main fight at UFC 304.
Wigan's Aspinall only took one minute to knockout Blaydes with a quick one-two punch, bring the American down on the mat, and win the fight.
As a result, Aspinall got payback for his loss to Blaydes in 2022. His defeat came when he injured his knee only 15 seconds into their match in London.
In Manchester, Aspinall showed he was better than Blaydes, 33, keeping the interim title he won in November by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich. This win brought the 31-year-old one step closer to his goal of fighting Jon Jones.
Jones, aged 37, currently holds the standard championship title but is currently sidelined due to injury. It is anticipated that he will make a comeback later this year to defend his title against former champion Stipe Miocic, aged 41.
During UFC 304's headline fight, Muhammad decisively defeated Edwards to end his reign as welterweight champion. Muhammad won on all three scorecards - 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 - in a rematch of their previous 2021 bout.
Their initial encounter ended without a clear winner, as Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye. Both fighters had been performing well leading up to the fight.
Muhammad, 36, was the only one who could maintain that level of performance on Saturday. By defeating Edwards in a unanimous decision, the Palestinian-American put an end to a title reign that started in 2022 after Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman in a surprising manner.
Edwards, who is 32 years old, successfully defended his title against Usman and Colby Covington in 2023, but unfortunately, the fighter from Birmingham was unable to advance any further this past Saturday.
Muhammad managed to bring Edwards to the ground on several occasions and dominated him throughout most of the fight. However, in the last minute, Edwards was able to get into a better position and land some punches, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome.
"Many of the fans in the audience seem to be very emotional and upset, " Muhammad informed the Manchester crowd, as Edwards added, "I felt exhausted from the very first round. I've been feeling tired all week, but credits to Belal for his performance."
"I will be back soon, possibly in November or December for one more event this year. I am prepared and excited to get going again."
In another part of UFC 304, Liverpool's own Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett defeated Bobby King Green in the opening round, while his lightweight compatriot Molly McCann was defeated by Bruna Brasil.
