UFC 304 live updates: Results, highlights, odds as Leon Edwards ...

28 Jul 2024

Yahoo Sports

UFC 304 live updates Results highlights odds as Leon Edwards

Belal Muhammad is the new welterweight champion after his huge win over Leon Edwards on Sunday.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 27: (L-R) Belal Muhammad punches Leon Edwards of Jamaica in the UFC welterweight championship bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) — Belal Muhammad is the new welterweight champion after his huge win over Leon Edwards on Sunday. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Belal Muhammad finally got his win over Leon Edwards, and he did so on Edwards' home turf.

Muhammad stunned Edwards with a huge unanimous decision win in the main event at UFC 304 early on Sunday morning. Muhammad largely shut down Edwards throughout the entire fight in a slow bout that left plenty of fans in Co-Op Live in Manchester, England, walking out of the arena early and very upset. Muhammad landed nearly 100 more total strikes than Edwards did and he survived a late flurry to grab the welterweight belt.

Muhammad didn't waste any time in his challenge. He took Edwards down multiple times in the first round and clearly took the early advantage in their bout. Muhammad took him down again almost immediately in the second round, too, and then got him again with a massive drop to Edwards' head.

Edwards had his flashes throughout the night, including with a quick takedown at the end of the second round in what was his first true flash of anything up until that point. He landed several massive blows to Muhammad's head in the final 30 seconds of the fifth round, too, which sent blood pouring out of Muhammad's face and onto the mat.

That, however, came too late. Muhammad held on in the end and grabbed the unanimous decision win to steal the welterweight title away from Edwards.

Muhammad now holds a 24-3 record after the win on Sunday. He's won 10 straight dating back to 2019, too, with the no-contest finish with Edwards in the middle of that stretch. Edwards dropped to 22-4 with the loss, which was his first since Kamaru Usman got him in 2015. Edwards entered the night coming off a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington in December.

Tom Aspinall came out hot in the co-main event and successfully defended his interim heavyweight championship belt with a massive first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall just barely missed a right-handed head shot after drilling Blaydes with his left, which sent Blaydes stumbling back to the mat. Aspinall then pounced and delivered a fury of head shots, which had the official calling the fight just one minute in.

The win avenged Aspinall's loss to Blaydes from the last time they squared off in 2022. Blaydes beat Aspinall in that bout, though Aspinall went down with a leg injury just 15 seconds into that fight. Aspinall now holds a 15-3 record. He's won three straight since his loss to Blaydes, and he entered the night fresh off a first-round win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last fall. Blaydes dropped to 18-5 in his career, and he's now lost two of his last three fights.

Keep up with UFC 304 and the battle between Edwards and Muhammad tonight with Yahoo Sports:

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER152 updates

Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:13 AM GMT+2
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:11 AM GMT+2
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:10 AM GMT+2

RESULT: Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards by decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:08 AM GMT+2

49-46 Muhammad. We should have a new champion, folks. #UFC304

— Chisanga Malata (@Chisanga_Malata) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:08 AM GMT+2

Fight ends and we're going to the scorecards

Belal is leaking, but heads to his corner with his arms raised
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:07 AM GMT+2

Wow Edwards just busted open Muhammad's face with an elbow
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:06 AM GMT+2

Edwards reverses with 40 seconds left!
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:06 AM GMT+2

Not to jinx him or anything but can you imagine how mad it’s going to make (some) MMA fans to hear “and new” before Belal’s name here in about a minute?

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:05 AM GMT+2

Might set a record for most amount of people leaving a building after the next four minutes

— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:05 AM GMT+2

Fans have seen enough (also, it's 6 a.m. in Manchester)
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:04 AM GMT+2

Round 5 has been Edward’s Cinderella man round in the past. But truly I feel his reign has been largely uncontested.

— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:04 AM GMT+2

Belal takes Edwards' back with over 3 minutes left in the fight
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:02 AM GMT+2

Edwards' corner tells him he needs a finish in the 5th round

Leon’s coach trying for another of those final round hype up speeches. I mean, it worked last time…

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 7:01 AM GMT+2

Edwards reverses position in the final 30 seconds

The fight is heading to the 5th round and it's likely Edwards needs a finish to retain his title after Belal won the 4th round.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:58 AM GMT+2

Muhammad has taken the champ down for an 8th time

And now it's time for Muhammad to look for a submission from the back. 90 seconds left in the round
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:57 AM GMT+2

Did Belal Muhammad learn how to jab up a southpaw? Great game planning #UFC304

— José Youngs (@JoseYoungs) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:57 AM GMT+2

Belal landing some combos now in the fourth
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:56 AM GMT+2
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:56 AM GMT+2

Hell of a bounce-back round for Edwards. He gave Muhammad a dose of his own medicine and kept him on the canvas for nearly the entire third round. 29-28 Muhammad.

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:55 AM GMT+2

Edwards takes Round 3

The champion's body lock won him the round and killed any of Muhammad's momentum, but the challenger is still up two rounds to one.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:53 AM GMT+2

One minute left for Edwards, who looking to submit Muhammad
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:51 AM GMT+2

Edwards has Muhammad's back early in the third
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:49 AM GMT+2

Here's the head slam
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:49 AM GMT+2

Edwards gets his first takedown in the final 30 seconds of R2

But Muhammad is putting in the performance of a lifetime so far. And his gas tank is well prepared to do this for five rounds.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:47 AM GMT+2

Oof that replay of Edwards getting spike right on his head during the takedown. Belal is kind of ragdolling the champ right now.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:47 AM GMT+2

Another takedown for Belal!

The last one was an extremely awkward for Edwards, who looked like he landed on his head.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:45 AM GMT+2

Belal looks sharp in the first 2 minutes of R2

He's already got two more takedowns on the champ.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:43 AM GMT+2

That's a great first round for Belal. Stung Edwards on the feet and had him way behind on that last takedown.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:43 AM GMT+2

Muhammad takes the first

The challenger is coming forward and landing more shots. His two takedowns were the major difference in the first despite Edwards landing a big body kick that made Belal wince.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:41 AM GMT+2

Edwards gets taken down again with 40 seconds left in the first
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:39 AM GMT+2

Belal shoots early and gets the easy takedown 20 seconds in

But Leon is able to get back to his feet and the two are now trading shots in the center of the Octagon
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:38 AM GMT+2

No glove touch in this grudge match

Referee Mike Beltran did what he could to foster a congenial environment with a request for a glove touch. Belal and Leon opted for the awkward stare instead.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:36 AM GMT+2

At 5:36 a.m. local time, the UFC 306 main event begins
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:30 AM GMT+2

Lights dim ahead of Edwards' walkout

The champ is walking out to "Shabba Madda Pot" by Dexta Daps
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:28 AM GMT+2

Muhammad turned 36 on July 9

If Belal Muhammad wins this bout, he will be the oldest fighter to defeat a defending champion in any weight class 170 pounds and below.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:27 AM GMT+2

Maybe they're saying Boo-lal?

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:26 AM GMT+2

Muhammad walking out now to plenty of boos

Belal Muhammad's walkout music is some of the best in all of the UFC. Goes hard as hell.

— Luke Thomas????️‍♀️ (@lthomasnews) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:25 AM GMT+2
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:20 AM GMT+2

Next up: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad for welterweight title

Who they are: Edwards is the UFC welterweight champ, a title he earned with a dramatic comeback knockout of Kamaru Usman that felt like something out of a movie. Muhammad is the guy who’s been pleading for a title shot while racking up wins, though his lack of star power made it a less than compelling pitch for the UFC.

Why it matters: Not only is the belt on the line, there’s also major bragging rights stakes for two guys who have a history and don’t care for each other. Their fight in 2021 ended in a no-contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye. The bitterness between them has built to a boil here as Muhammad as vowed to walk through Edwards with ease. As much as they’d each like to win, both would absolutely hate to lose to the other. That might be a stronger motivation even than the title.
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:19 AM GMT+2

Really hope we don't get to a point where Jon Jones didn't give us a Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall fight.

— Luke Thomas????️‍♀️ (@lthomasnews) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:16 AM GMT+2

“Hello Jon ... I just think I’m better than you”

Aspinall with the politest possible callout of Jon Jones. Book. That. Fight.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:15 AM GMT+2

Aspinall says White wants to see him face Jon Jones
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:14 AM GMT+2

Is Jon Jones gonna pick up the phone to fight Tom Aspinall or nah?

— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) July 28, 2024

There's no reason why anyone should consider Jones the champ. One fight in the division, fighting an inactive contender, prepping for retirement. Aspinall is the UFC HW champion.

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:14 AM GMT+2
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:13 AM GMT+2

The saddest thing about Aspinall likely never facing Jon Jones is that there just isn't much left for him beyond that.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:13 AM GMT+2

RESULT: Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes by KO (punches) at 1:00 of R1
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:11 AM GMT+2

Tom Aspinall needed exactly 60 seconds. Damn.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 28, 2024
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:11 AM GMT+2

And it's over!

Aspinall caught Blaydes with a huge shot that laid him out and finished him on the ground
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:09 AM GMT+2

Fight starts now!
Sun, July 28, 2024 at 6:08 AM GMT+2