The Manchester, England fans at the Co-Op Arena went home unhappy early Sunday morning.
In a surprising upset in the main event of UFC 304, Belal Muhammad’s wrestling and improved boxing led to a dominating performance as he dethroned Leon Edwards in their highly anticipated rematch.
Muhammad took Edwards down with ease on almost every attempt. While the new champion came into the fight known for his excellent wrestling, his boxing helped set Edwards up for takedowns, seemingly making the execution simpler.
At the end of the fifth round, Edwards had his best moments on the feet. He was able to reverse position on the ground before raining down elbows on Muhammad’s face, which caused a gash on the latter’s nose.
However, the surge happened too late in the fight, and Edwards still lost the decision on all three cards (48-47×2 and 49-46).
In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall successfully defended his interim heavyweight championship with a first-round KO win. You can see the finish in the results section below.
Here is a look at the fighters who walked away with performance bonuses for their work in Manchester, England.
UFC 304 Bonuses
Aspinall and Parkin took home $100K bonuses for their performances. Paddy Pimblett came through with the largest bonus of the night. He came through with an impressive performance claiming a $200,000 bonus for his win.
Here is a look at all of the results from UFC 304.
UFC 304 PPV Card Results
Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47×2, 49-46)
Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes via TKO of 1:00 of Round 1
Aspinall wasted no time proving the freak-accident loss to Blaydes in the first meeting was just that, a freak accident. It took just 60 seconds for Aspinall for the interim champion to dispose of Blaydes with a power jab and ground-and-pound strikes.
Here is a look at the finish:
Paddy Pimblett def. King Green via submission (triangle choke) 3:22 of Round 1
In the biggest step-up of his career, Pimblett held his own on the feet, and immediately made Green pay when he went for a takedown. Pimblett expertly transitioned to a triangle that put Green to sleep.
What a fantastic performance from Pimblett. Here is a look at the finish:
Gregory Rodrigues def. Christian Leroy Duncan via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
UFC 304 Preliminary Card Results
Nathaniel Wood def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-27×2, 29-28)
Bruna Brasil def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (30-27×2, 29-28)
Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
UFC 304 Early Preliminary Card Results
Oban Elliott def. Preston Parsons via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
Modestas Bukauskas def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:12 of Round 1
In an early candidate for Fight of the Night, Bukauskas shook off some strong power shots from Prachnio before securing the submission win in the third round.
Here is a look at the finish:
Sam Patterson def. Kiefer Crosbie via submission (arm triangle choke) at 2:50 of Round 1
The impressive Patterson continues to look like a future title contender. He got another first-round submission win after showing off some strong boxing skills.
Here is a look at the finish:
Mick Parkin def. Lukasz Brzeski via KO at 3:23 of Round 1
Parkin remained undefeated after scoring an impressive first-round KO. Here is a look at the finish:
Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Next up for the UFC, the promotion heads to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The main event is a crucial men’s bantamweight scrap between Cory Sandhagen and the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.
Be on the lookout for Fight Week coverage.
