Leon Edwards is ready to continue to prove doubters wrong when he defends the UFC welterweight title against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester. The fight airs on ESPN+ in the U.S. and TNT in the U.K.
Edwards and Muhammad competed against one another in March 2021. Their fight ended in a no-contest following an eye poke to Muhammad. Edwards had the first-round edge and outlanded Muhammad in significant strikes 19-8. “Rocky” believes a win was right around the corner in that fight. The rematch should be no different.
“Everyone’s seen the way the first round went,” said Edwards via The New York Post. “… I also remember how slow he was in there and just how he felt in the clinch. I can’t take away from that.
“Apart from that, technical-wise, I’m approaching it as a brand new fight and breaking it down and looking at the Belal now, the 36-year-old guy he is now that hasn’t fought for over a year now.”
WATCH: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2, exclusively on ESPN+
Edwards has won four straight since, including the belt, while Muhammad has won five.
The co-main event will see Tom Aspinall defend the interim UFC heavyweight title against Curtis Blaydes. The two fought two years ago, where Aspinall injured his knee 15 seconds into the fight in London. Now holding interim gold, Aspinall looks to unify after this fight.
The Sporting News will provide full results and highlights for UFC 304!
UFC 304 results, highlights
6:30 p.m. ET: The prelims opened up with Shauna Bannon going the distance against Alice Ardelean. Mick Parkin knocked out Lukasz Brzeski before midnight U.K. time. And Sam Patterson landed the arm-triangle choke against Kiefer Crosbie.
Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of UFC 304.
UFC 304 start time
- Date: Saturday, July 27
- Location: Co-op Live — Manchester, England
- Time: 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m BST (Sun) | 12 p.m. AEST (Sun)
The UFC 304 main card starts at the standard U.S. time of 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m. BST) despite being in the U.K. The main event should begin around 12:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. BST), depending on how long the undercard fights last.
The prelims, starting at 8 p.m. ET, will air on ESPN and ESPN+. It will also be streamed via Fubo. Start your free trial now.