The UK sees the octagon hit Manchester for their first event of the year which will be headlined by a pair of title fights featuring two British champions. In the main event, Leon Edwards looks to defend his welterweight strap against his former foe, Belal Muhammad. The two first met in 2021 when the bout was deemed a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. Since then, both men have extended their unbeaten runs and have been on a collision course for a number of years.
The co-main event sees another rematch, this time in the heavyweight division. Interim champion, Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes throw down in England again having had a disappointing fight last time out. Just 15 seconds into their first fight, Aspinall blew out his knee and we never really got the fight that we wanted. Since that first meeting, Aspinall has captured interim gold and Blaydes picked up another win over the in-form Jailton Almeida. With the interim belt on the line, expect fireworks in this one.
Other Main Card Bouts
Fan favourite, Paddy Pimblett returns to the octagon for the first time this year as he meets King Green at lightweight. The Baddy is undefeated in the UFC and picked up the biggest win of his career last time out, beating Tony Ferguson. Green will be making his second walk of 2024, having competed and won in a very convincing fashion at UFC 300 in April. These two men have been talking trash for years and they’ll finally settle it inside the octagon.
Christian Leroy Duncan will look to continue his good form as he takes on late-notice replacement and fan favourite, Gregory Rodrigues. CLD put in his best UFC performance last time out dominating Claudio Ribeiro to a second-round TKO victory. He’ll be looking to do the same to his Brazilian opponent in Manchester. It won’t be easy, however, as Rodrigues is one of the toughest, most well-rounded fighters at 185lbs. With a UFC record of 6-2, with all but one win coming via TKO/KO, expect violence in Manchester.
Opening up the main card is a featherweight clash between Arnold Allen and Giga Chikadze. Allen is on a two fight skid as things stand, however, we have to remember that these came against Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev. He’ll be looking to bounce back in his home country against Chikadze. Ninja went on an impressive seven fight win streak in the UFC before running into Calvin Kattar. He bounced back against Alex Caceres last time out and will be looking to continue that winning run on Saturday.
Check out our full UFC 304 preview podcast here:
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Find our UFC 304 picks and fight odds below.
Arnold Allen -238
vs.
Giga Chikadze +196
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
Jeremy Brand: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle:
Michael DeSantis: Allen via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin:
Frazer Krohn: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Allen via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Allen: 4
Staff picking Chikadze: 0
Christian Leroy Duncan -142
vs.
Gregory Rodrigues +120
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
Jeremy Brand: Duncan via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Rodrigues via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Duncan via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Duncan via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Duncan: 3
Staff picking Rodrigues: 1
Paddy Pimblett -102
vs.
Bobby Green +118
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
Jeremy Brand: Pimblett via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Green via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Green via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Green via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Pimblett: 1
Staff picking Green: 3
Tom Aspinall -355
vs.
Curtis Blaydes +280
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
INTERIM HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
Jeremy Brand: Aspinall via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Aspinall via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Aspinall via Round 4 TKO
Nate Freeman: Aspinall via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Aspinall: 4
Staff picking Blaydes: 0
Leon Edwards -258
vs.
Belal Muhammad +210
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
Jeremy Brand: Edwards via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: N/A
Michael DeSantis: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: N/A
Frazer Krohn: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Edwards via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Edwards: 4
Staff picking Muhammad: 0
