The UFC 304 main event bout has been made official, pitting welterweight champion Leon Edwards against challenger Belal Muhammad in a rematch. The fight card takes place at Co-op Live in Manchester, England on Saturday, July 27.
Edwards and Muhammad first met in March 2021 in Las Vegas. The non-title bout was declared no contest in the second round after Muhammad suffered an accidental eye poke and was unable to continue.
Stepping inside the Octagon in Manchester in July, Leon Edwards (22-3, 1 NC) makes the third defense of his 170-pound belt. In his previous outing last December, the Jamaica-born champion defeated Colby Covington by unanimous decision. Last March, the Birmingham, England-based 32-year-old took a majority decision against Kamaru Usman, after claiming the title against the latter via fifth-round head kick KO in August 2022.
Riding a five-fight winning streak, No. 2-ranked welterweight contender Belal Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC) makes his first attempt to become champion. The 35-year-old native of Chicago, Illinois is coming off the win by unanimous decision against Gilbert Burns last May.
The promotion confirmed Edwards vs Muhammad 2 as the UFC 304 main event via Dana White’s video posted on X. Also made official the co-main event, a heavyweight rematch between interim titleholder Tom Aspinall (14-3) of England and Curtis Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC) of Naperville, Illinois. Plus, Bobby Green (32-15-1, 1 NC) of San Bernardino, California and Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett (21-3) clash at lightweight.
The previously reported flyweight bout between Manel Kape (19-6) of Angola and Manchester-based Muhammad Mokaev (12-0, 1 NC), as well as the featherweight matchup between Arnold Allen (19-3) of England and Giga Chikadze (15-3) Georgia, have been also confirmed.
The current UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 lineup looks as the following:
- Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad, welterweight – Edwards’ UFC welterweight title
- Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes, heavyweight – Aspinall’s interim UFC heavyweight title
- Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett, lightweight
- Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze, featherweight
- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape, flyweight
- Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda, featherweight
- Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil, women’s strawweight
- Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira, women’s strawweight
