A 14-fight card at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, was headlined by a pair of title bout rematches. Belal Muhammad dethroned Leon Edwards to grow to be the brand new welterweight champion. Within the co-main occasion, Tom Aspinall made fast work of Curtis Blaydes, leaving little doubt that he is top-of-the-line strikers on the planet. To make sense of all of it, Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim supply their last ideas.

The stage was set for Leon Edwards to placed on a starry efficiency. It was early into Sunday morning — with the solar nonetheless down — however the followers at Co-op Stay enviornment have been absolutely awake and able to cheer on a present after simply having watched two different native heroes, Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett, rating rousing first-round finishes.

Edwards didn’t ship the locals dwelling completely happy, although. It wasn’t just because he misplaced his UFC welterweight championship to Belal Muhammad. By the point the choice was being learn, the solar was rising in Manchester, however the power within the constructing had already been deadened. The principle occasion had primarily performed out with the challenger in dominant positions on the canvas or in clinches, as he piled up over 12 minutes of management time. Muhammad by no means significantly threatened a end, however he gave Edwards little alternative for a giant efficiency and the British followers little motive to cheer.

This was exactly what Muhammad had stated he was going to do. However it appeared unlikely, on condition that Edwards’ previous three fights had been in opposition to robust wrestlers — Kamaru Usman twice and Colby Covington — and the champ had principally saved these fights standing, the place he’s most harmful. Even when Edwards and Muhammad first met in 2021, in a bout that ended early in Spherical 2 as a no-contest after a watch poke rendered Muhammad unable to proceed, Edwards had saved the struggle in positions the place he might get the higher of it.

Not this time. Though Edwards had a giant third spherical, getting a takedown early and threatening a submission till the horn, and though he turned across the last spherical and landed a late elbow that left Muhammad’s face bloody, the soon-to-be-dethroned champ was unable to generate constant offense. His title reign simply petered out.

So now Muhammad is the most recent everyman to personal a UFC belt, following within the footsteps of men equivalent to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, fighters who placed on championship-winning performances however lack the star energy the UFC brass craves. Muhammad deserves all of the accolades for this victory, however will these accolades come his method?

The UFC star-building machine has by no means precisely embraced Edwards. So good luck to Muhammad, who had waited a very long time earlier than being given his shot. He needed to go on a 10-fight unbeaten run earlier than getting a date with Edwards. He made probably the most of it on this night time, however the smothering type wherein he secured his title would have made this struggle a yawner even when it weren’t taking part in out in entrance of his opponent’s dwelling followers and the sleepy hours of the night time. — Wagenheim

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Is Jon Jones going to reply the telephone for Tom Aspinall?

Hale: All Aspinall wanted was one minute to avenge the lone blemish on his UFC file by annihilating Blaydes. Outdoors of Ciryl Gane, there’s no person else left for Aspinall to struggle who would current an inexpensive menace.

Apart from the TKO loss resulting from harm, Aspinall has worn out the higher crust of the heavyweight division with little to no resistance. Aspinall’s previous three fights in opposition to Blaydes, Sergei Pavlovich and Marcin Tybura have lasted a grand complete of three minutes and 22 seconds, with none going longer than 90 seconds. Aspinall entered the Octagon with a median struggle time of two:10, the shortest in UFC historical past. The 60 seconds it took to dispatch Blaydes will prolong his lead.

For what it is value, Jones has each proper to disregard the decision and trip off into the sundown when he presumably beats Stipe Miocic in November. It in all probability will not diminish his stature as the best combined martial artist, contemplating that he has way more to lose than acquire in a struggle with Aspinall.

Nevertheless, if he needs to show that he is nonetheless the most effective fighter on the planet, Jones must reply the hardest problem of his UFC profession in opposition to a person who is greater, quicker and extra highly effective than anyone he has ever shared an Octagon with.

As large as a struggle between Jones and Francis Ngannou was regarded as, the specter of Aspinall has eclipsed that and made Jones-Aspinall the most important struggle that may be made within the UFC, exterior of something Conor McGregor.

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Paddy Pimblett was all the time this good

Okamoto: This is how you realize Pimblett has completed his job in relation to getting individuals to care about him — the overreactions to his performances.

When he beat Jared Gordon, in a struggle many scored for Gordon, it appeared like followers and pundits alike could not wait to leap off the bandwagon. When he failed to complete a veteran in Tony Ferguson, the “overrated” narrative grew. After which, after one (albeit) implausible submission victory over King Inexperienced, impulsively social media is flooded with “Paddy is the actual deal” feedback?

The game as a complete is swinging method too vast with each Pimblett efficiency. What did he do Saturday that we did not know he might do? We all know he has a harmful floor sport. We all know he tends to stand up when the highlight is at its brightest. This is not to downplay his previous exploits. The precise reverse, really.

It was the most effective win of his UFC profession so far. However why are we treating it prefer it confirmed us one thing we have been oblivious to? I knew Pimblett might carry out like this, and I believe the UFC knew it, too. The highest of the division remains to be going to be powerful for Pimblett. It was all the time going to be. The query of how far he can go remains to be on the market. And maybe for some, this final efficiency reveals he is for actual, however I used to be below the impression we already knew he was.