Tom Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight title with a rapid knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in Manchester on Saturday. The Wigan fighter needed just one minute to floor Blaydes with a one-two combination, avenging a 2022 loss that occurred when Aspinall suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into their previous fight.
With the win, the 31-year-old Aspinall moved a step closer to a dream fight with Jon Jones, who holds the regular heavyweight belt but is currently injured. Jones, 37, is expected to return later this year to defend his title against former champion Stipe Miocic.
In the main event, Leon Edwards lost his welterweight title to Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision. Muhammad won on all three scorecards (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in a rematch of their 2021 fight, which ended as a no contest due to an accidental eye poke from Edwards.
Edwards, from Birmingham, had held the belt since 2022 when he knocked out Kamaru Usman. He successfully defended it against Usman and Colby Covington in 2023, but could not overcome Muhammad on Saturday. Edwards said after the fight: 'I'm not surprised, my body just felt tired from round one. All week I felt tired. But good job to Belal.'
Muhammad, 36, ended Edwards's title reign with a dominant performance, taking Edwards down and controlling the fight on the ground. The victory was emotional for Muhammad, who broke down in tears after the decision was announced.
