UFC 304 LIVE results: Leon Edwards loses title after Tom Aspinall knocks out Curtis Blaydes
Re-live the action as the UFC’s two British champions defended their titles in Manchester – with mixed results
Tom Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight title with a rapid knockout of Curtis Blaydes on Saturday, before Leon Edwards lost the welterweight belt to Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 main event.
Wigan’s Aspinall needed just one minute to floor Blaydes with a one-two, before flattening out the American and forcing a finish on the canvas. With that, Aspinall avenged a 2022 loss to Blaydes, a defeat that occurred when the Briton sustained a knee injury just 15 seconds into their fight in London.
In Manchester on Saturday, Aspinall was able to prove his superiority over Blaydes, 33, retaining the interim belt that he won in November. And in doing so, the 31-year-old moved a step closer to a dream fight with Jon Jones. Jones, 37, holds the regular belt but is out injured, with the American expected to return later this year in a title defence against former champion Stipe Miocic, 41.
In the main event of UFC 304, Edwards’s welterweight title reign was ended in comprehensive fashion by Muhammad. The Palestinian-American beat the Jamaican-born Briton on all three scorecards – 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 – in a rematch of their 2021 meeting.
Their first clash ended as a No Contest, after Edwards accidentally landed an eye poke on Muhammad, while each man had otherwise been faultless in recent years. Only Muhammad, 36, was able to retain that form on Saturday, however. With his unanimous-decision victory over Edwards, he ended a title reign that began in 2022 – when Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman in stunning fashion.
Edwards, 32, retained the belt against Usman and Colby Covington with decision wins in 2023, but the Birmingham fighter could go no further on Saturday. Re-live the action and see all results from UFC 304, below.
UFC 304 LIVE: Nathaniel Wood vs Daniel Pineda
Onto the final prelim bout of the night: London’s Nathaniel Wood takes on American Daniel Pineda at featherweight.
Round one
Wood with a hard low kick early on, before a grappling exchange ensues. Each man takes a turn to hold the other against the fence, before Wood circles away.
A right overhand grazes Wood. Oh! Speaking of grazing, Wood skims a cross off Pineda’s head, and the American hits the canvas!
Wood with follow-up shots, but Pineda is able to regain his senses and hold Wood in closed guard. Decent elbow by Pineda from the bottom, and another.
Great sweep by the American, too! A lovely hip bump. He’s working on a guillotine now, but Wood defends well.
It’s amazing that Pineda survived that early scare.
UFC 304 LIVE: Molly McCann vs Bruna Brasil
Round three
McCann presses forward but walks onto a jab. Both women land now. McCann forces Brasil to the cage and lands a front kick to the body.
Brasil misses with a spinning back elbow and gets taken down, Chael Sonnen vs Anderson Silva style, but she scrambles well to land on top! She soon takes the back, too.
Brasil flattens out McCann and works on an arm-triangle choke, but McCann defends well. Still, Brasil is in control.
The Brazilian stands and lets McCann back to her feet, then lands a hard knee! But McCann comes back with a one-two!
The crowd is so invested now! McCann just about lands a spinning back elbow – which she’s scored KOs with before... but Brasil stays calm, and she lands a wonderful double-leg takedown.
Brasil has McCann’s back and is almost sat against the cage wall. McCann rallies nicely and goes for a rear naked choke, which has the crowd hoping, but the submission isn’t there.
To the scorecards we go.
Bruna Brasil def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
UFC 304 LIVE: Molly McCann vs Bruna Brasil
Round one
A tough first round for Liverpool’s Molly McCann. She walks onto a number of counter shots, including two body kicks that nearly fold her.
To her credit, she fights on and gets the better of a prolonged grappling exchange. The crowd loves that.
But it’s Brasil who ends the round on top.
Round two
McCann closes range and holds Brasil against the fence, but the Brazilian’s defence is holding up for now...
But there’s the takedown at last! Lots of cheers in Manchester as “Meatball Molly” dumps Brasil to the canvas. She soon backs off and allows Brasil to stand, mind.
There’s a chant in support of McCann, who is now forced to defend against the fence. She reverses the position, but Brasil lands a takedown.
The pair stand, and Brasil scores a knockdown in the final seconds of the round!
UFC 304 LIVE: Caolan Loughran vs Jake Hadley
Round three
Good counter cross from Hadley. Loughran targets the body again. Sharp jab by Hadley. Loughran throws a knee up the middle. Hadley with his own body shots.
Loughran dives for another double-leg, but to no avail. We’ll go to the scorecards...
Jake Hadley def. Caolan Loughran via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
UFC 304 LIVE: Caolan Loughran vs Jake Hadley
Round two
Loughran shoots for a single-leg then switches to a double, as Hadley defends with a guillotine. But Loughran slips his head out, before the bantamweights move into space.
Loughran with a couple of decent right hands. And again. He’s finding his range while backing up Hadley.
But Hadley fires back, and Loughran’s left eye is starting to swell. The Irishman then lands a clean low blow, and we’ll have a brief pause in the action.
Back under way, and Loughran lands a few uppercuts to the body before shooting for a double-leg against the fence.
He then switches to a single while trying to lift and dump Hadley, who retains balance very well. Great defence from the Englishman.
But Loughran ends the round on top.
UFC 304 LIVE: Caolan Loughran vs Jake Hadley
Next, it’s bantamweight action between Ireland’s Caolan Loughran and England’s Jake Hadley.
Hadley, stepping in on short notice but moving up a division, missed weight by one pound. As a result, he was fined 20 per cent of his purse.
Round one
Hadley stands southpaw. Loughran is orthodox. Hadley kicks low. Clean cross by the Englishman now.
That left hand is working nicely for Hadley so far. He’s kicking low frequently, too. Hadley blocks a body kick. Loughran is pressing forward but not throwing much – and when he is throwing, he’s not really landing.
Another southpaw cross is on target for Hadley. Body kick by Loughran lands. Hadley with a straight to the body. A cross connects for Loughran.
UFC 304 LIVE: Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape
Round three
A doctor checks Kape’s toe, and the flyweight is deemed okay to continue.
We could be looking at one round apiece heading into the final frame. A slapping question-mark kick lands for Mokaev! Kape backs up the 23-year-old and lands a few punches off each side.
Mokaev catches Kape on the end of a switch high kick. Kape continues to apply pressure, though.
Mokaev lands a takedown, and Kape tries to defend with a guillotine... but Mokaev eventually slips his head free. Lots of elbows from Kape from underneath the Briton, who is in Kape’s open guard.
They scramble and stand, and Mokaev points to the centre of the canvas, as if to say: “Let’s trade.” That does not happen. Mokaev with a takedown in the final seconds, as boos ring out.
Kape and Mokaev actually embrace, remarkably!
Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Mokaev stays unbeaten! He’s in tears. Kape seems devastated.
UFC 304 LIVE: Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape
Round two
Both men stand southpaw for a while. They’re switching back and forth frequently. Not much action so far in this round.
Kape bends down to grab his toe, he’s visibly pointing it upwards to avoid putting weight on it... He’s injured it somehow. Mokaev goes after him as the Angolan reaches down for the toe.
Soon thereafter, the Briton secures a takedown, but he’s warned for grabbing Kape’s shorts. A brief pause here as the referee speaks to Mokaev. This is an odd fight...
Back under way, and Mokaev shoots for a single-leg takedown from way out. No joy.
Neither fighter is landing much of significance.
UFC 304 LIVE: Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape
Round one
The crowd is already loud for this one, singing “Ole” as the fight begins.
Mokaev runs right at Kape, swings and misses. Now the Briton kicks low and just about lands. Front kick to the body connects. Now Kape presses forward, but neither man is throwing. The crowd gets a bit restless.
Mokaev hammers a low kick then switches stances. He’s standing southpaw, now back to orthodox. Kape with a counter hook that has Mokaev stumbling somewhat.
Lots of feints from both men over a long stretch, and more boos. It’s remarkable that the one time they’re supposed to fight, they’re barely fighting!
Now a spinning back kick from Mokaev, but it doesn’t land clean. Kape with a few clean lands late in the round, and Mokaev dives at his legs! No takedown, though.
UFC 304 LIVE: Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape
The regular prelims begin with a flyweight grudge match between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape!
Russian-born Mokaev, who represents the UK, is looking to book a title fight with a win here, but the same applies to Angola’s Kape.
The pair almost came to blows at yesterday’s weigh-in, and they reportedly almost clashed at the fighter hotel this week, too.
And they have to be separated before the fight even begins! As Mokaev is circling the cage, he and Kape almost get into it! This is wild...
NOW the action begins for real...
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