UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards thinks a title fight against Conor McGregor would be massive.
UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] thinks a title fight against [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] would be massive.
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) runs things back with Belal Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 in Manchester, England.
Former dual-champion McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) returns in a welterweight bout against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the UFC 303 main event June 29 in Las Vegas.
If both are victorious, Edwards would love to set up a mega fight with “The Notorious” towards the end of the year.
“That would be good – 100 percent. Why not?” Edwards said about fighting McGregor on The MMA Hour. “Let’s give him the opportunity to become a three-division world champion, give me the opportunity to take out a guy like Conor McGregor. New York? That would be perfect.
“That is the fight. He goes out there and takes out Michael, I take out ‘No One Remembers His Name,’ and we’ll go from there. We’ll go to New York, MSG. Let’s go. That’s the fight, I feel. You know, two of us have business to take care of. That’s the fight that needs to happen. It should happen.”
Edwards thinks McGregor will be too much for Chandler.
“I think he beats him,” Edwards said. “If you watch them stylistically, I feel like Conor is a very sharp shooter, like counter shooter, and Chandler plays off his aggression. He likes to entertain the crowd, try to scrap. He’s too small, as well. It’s going to be a good fight, but I’m favoring Conor.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
Conor McGregor went off on the state of the UFC welterweight division.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] went off on the state of the UFC welterweight division.
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will look to notch his third title defense when he runs things back with Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 in Manchester, England. Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman to capture the title, but went the distance with Usman in their rematch, and all 25 minutes with Colby Covington as well.
Both Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) are on double-digit unbeaten runs, but most of their wins have come by decision which McGregor criticized.
“There’s too many decisions going on now with that Leon fella,” McGregor said in a live stream with Duel Bits (h/t Championship Rounds on X). “Leon Edwards loves a decision. And then he’s fighting another f*cking decision guy, your man Belal, so not great times in the welterweight title picture. (UFC 304 will do 200,000 pay-per-view) buys, probably … not even: 150,000 buys.”
Former dual-champion McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who will return in a 170-pound bout against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 June 29 in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), has his eyes on even more belts.
“Leon Edwards, Nate Diaz almost knocked him out, had him out on his feet,” McGregor said. “If that fight is going on, Leon is unconscious. Also, (Donald) Cerrone went the distance with him.
“I’m looking at all these belts: the lightweight world title – although I’ve held that, how excited would I be to cut that weight again after winning it already? I’ve already held the belt. I’d be excited about the ‘Bad Motherf*cker’ (BMF) title, and I’d be excited about the welterweight title.”
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Kamaru Usman picks Leon Edwards to beat Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] picks [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] to beat [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] at UFC 304.
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the July 27 main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Usman has lost to Edwards twice in championship fights, but both contests were competitive. The former welterweight champion just doesn’t see Muhammad having the ability to control Edwards on the ground.
“I would say I like Belal, but I think Leon (will win),” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Wrestling is not enough. The sport has changed so much to where guys are learning how to use the cage to get up. It’s not even really wrestling anymore, because if you take a guy down up close to the cage, they’re going to use the cage and they’re going to get back to the feet.
“Guys are getting really, really good at that. … And Belal Muhammad, I don’t feel, is a high enough level of a wrestler to take him down to the center of the cage and keep him down there and win the fight there. Belal, his level is definitely up there now to where he can switch stance. He can fight out of both stances. He mixes it up, and he knows how to control his pace. That’s the biggest thing. You saw it in the Burns fight: He knows how to control his pace.”
Edwards was able to fend off Colby Covington’s wrestling for the most part to notch his second title defense at UFC 296. Although Usman thinks Muhammad manages his pace better than Edwards, he doesn’t think it’ll be enough.
“This is a very intriguing fight,” Usman said. “But Leon just being the champion, and being confident in being the champion, I think he’s going to be sharp.”
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At UFC 304, welterweights Oban Elliot and Preston Parsons will collide in a three-round bout.
UFC 304 has added a welterweight bout to its undercard.
Wales’ [autotag]Oban Elliott[/autotag] and Florida’s [autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag] will collide July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The event is headlined by a welterweight title bout between champion Leon Edwards and challenger Belal Muhammad.
A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Elliott posted a video to Instagram of himself signing the contract. MMA Orbit first reported the matchup.
Elliott (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his promotional debut at UFC 298 in February when he defeated Val Woodburn by unanimous decision. The victory came after a contract-earning performance vs. Kaik Brito on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Parsons (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has alternated losses and wins across four fights. He most recently competed in January when he defeated Matthew Semelsberger by unanimous decision.
With the addition, the UFC 304 lineup includes:
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes
Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
Daniel Pineda vs. Nathaniel Wood
Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons
Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
Bruna Brasil vs. Molly McCann
Caolan Loughran vs. Ramon Taveras
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
“In my head, I was like, ‘Yeah, I already knew I was going to be fighting in Manchester,’ but I was just waiting for an opponent,” Page told Sky Sports. “Colby’s got some kind of issue, I didn’t actually look into exactly what that was, but he can’t make the fight. They’re like, ‘Would you still want to take the (fight vs. Garry)’? I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s just put it on the U.K. card because it just makes sense.'”
However, with Garry wanting to compete at UFC 303, which is headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, Page isn’t sure when the fight happens. All he knows is that he, too, has accepted the fight.
“I don’t actually care when the fight is. I can do it next week, I can do it the week after,” Page said. “I don’t mind. I’m just saying it made more sense for the U.K. He’s Irish, I’m English, on the U.K. card. It’s going to be a big card, it would be a great fight. I think he likes to just hang on the back of people’s coattails. So he sees Conor McGregor and gets excited.”
Garry was asked about Page’s UFC debut and picked Holland to beat him. Page thinks Garry talks too much which fuels him.
“I’d fight him next week,” Page said. “If I have to lose X amount of weight for that fight, I’ll do it next week. It’s not a problem. I think he misunderstood what’s actually going on. I think he understands I’m dangerous. … I’ve never actually met him. I never like to judge too much from a distance, but he inspires me to get in shape because he just has an annoying air about him. If there was any motivation needed, it’s just him talking.”
Fan favorites Bobby Green and Paddy Pimblett will meet at UFC 304. Here’s what you need to know.
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will look to hand [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] his first octagon loss in their lightweight bout at UFC 304.
Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett preview
Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) took umbrage with Pimblett mentioning his name, calling him out during the UFC 300 post-fight news conference. Green has won three of his past four, most recently battering veteran Jim Miller at UFC 300 in April. Green’s three wins in that stretch came over Tony Ferguson, Grant Dawson and Miller, with his lone loss coming by knockout to Jalin Turner.
Unbeaten in the octagon, Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is on a seven-fight winning streak. The former Cage Warriors champion most recently scored a lopsided win over the skidding Tony Ferguson this past December at UFC 296. His UFC wins have come over Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas, Jordan Leavitt, Jared Gordon, and Ferguson.
Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett odds
DraftKings released the opening odds for the bout, in which Green is listed as a -192 favorite and Pimblett as a +160 underdog.
How to watch Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304
When: July 27
Where: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
Curtis Blaydes thinks Jon Jones will hold onto his title clout as long as possibly, but won’t unify with him or Tom Aspinall after UFC 304.
[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] isn’t holding out hope that [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] will unify the heavyweight championship with the winner of his UFC 304 co-main event vs. [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
With Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) recovering from injury and holding out for a title defense vs. Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York, the UFC booked a rematch with eager interim champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) against Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) on July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
In ordinary circumstances, the winner of Jones vs. Miocic would face the winner of Aspinall vs. Blaydes. It remains to be seen what Miocic would do with an upset victory, but the majority of expectations are for Jones to win and potentially retire. “Bones” teased he would make the unification happen when he dubbed Aspinall vs. Blaydes as a fight for the No. 1 contender spot, but that’s far from a commitment.
Aspinall has made it clear he thinks Jones won’t fight him, and Blaydes is in the same boat.
“If I win or if Aspinall wins, I don’t think Jon’s going to fight anyone outside of Stipe,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie on Friday. “After Stipe, he walks away into the sunset. I think he likes to toss out different scenarios like, ‘What if I fought Alex Pereira? What if I fought Aspinall? What if I fought Blaydes?’ He wants people to talk about him, which I get. The more you get talked about the better your following grows and it helps your sponsors. I get it. He’s skilled at it. He’s been on the internet for as long as I’ve had Facebook and Instagram, he’s always been a presence. He knows what he’s doing. But do I honestly believe he would risk his legacy against a guy like me? No. Cause if he beats me, what does it do for his legacy?
“Are you going to be like, ‘Oh, that was the fight that finally cemented Jon as the GOAT.’ Either you believe he’s the GOAT already, or you don’t. It’s like MJ vs. LeBron. If you already don’t believe that LeBron is the GOAT, there isn’t anything he can do to change your mind, and vice versa. If you already believe he is the GOAT. However you view Jon Jones at this moment or after he fights Stipe, that’ll be the lasting image. And I don’t think he’s going to do anything to jeopardize that.”
Blaydes, 33, said he’s not going to “hold my breath” for a clash with Jones to ever materialize, so in his mind, that raises the stakes for UFC 304. If Jones does indeed retire after Miocic, that would elevate the Aspinall vs. Blaydes winner from interim to undisputed champion. In Blaydes’ mind, though, that’s essentially what he’s already competing for.
“That’s how I’m viewing it (as an undisputed title fight),” Blaydes said. “That’s how I’m approaching it. When I told my family, my brothers, my dad, my sister, ‘I’m fighting for a belt.’ I didn’t say interim belt. I said a belt. Honestly, a majority of casual fan, they don’t know the difference. I’m sure a lot of them are probably perplexed like, ‘How does Aspinall have a belt and Jon have a belt?’ They probably don’t understand the concept of interim vs. undisputed, and they don’t care. All they see is a shiny belt and you holding it in a UFC octagon. That’s all they need. So to me, it is the real belt.”
When forecasting the future with an interim title win, Blaydes thinks it won’t be an easy process to get his undisputed status. His many years of observing Jones and his behavior leads Blaydes to think the heavyweight division is in for another messy stretch, but eventually he thinks Jones will be stripped or relinquish the strap.
“It’s not going to be a smooth transition of power,” Blaydes said. “He’s not going to just – I know I said he’s going to walk off into the sunset, but I meant he’s going to ‘retire’ unofficially, but he’s not going to officially retire for who knows. It could be a year, a year-and-a-half. However long the UFC allows him to string it along, he’ll do it.”
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Tom Aspinall will get a chance to avenge the lone loss of his career vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Here’s what you need to know.
Interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] will get a chance to avenge the lone loss of his career vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] at UFC 304.
Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes preview
After finishing his first five UFC opponents, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) drew Blaydes in the UFC Fight Night 208 main event in July 2022. However, just 15 seconds into the fight, Aspinall blew out his knee and Blaydes was awarded the TKO win.
One year later, Aspinall returned to score a first-round TKO over Marcin Tybura. With heavyweight champion Jon Jones sustaining an injury and pulling out of UFC 295, Aspinall got the call to face Sergei Pavlovich for the interim title on the same card. Aspinall won the bout by first-round knockout.
After beating Aspinall, Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was knocked out by Pavlovich at UFC Fight Night 222. He rebounded with a Performance of the Night knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, snapping the Brazilian’s 15-fight winning streak.
Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes odds
DraftKings released the opening odds for the co-main event, in which Aspinall is listed as a sizable -238 favorite over Blaydes, who’s a +195 underdog.
How to watch Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304
When: July 27
Where: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
Belal Muhammad will get his long-awaited rematch vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Here’s what you need to know.
[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will finally get his long awaited rematch vs. welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] at UFC 304.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad preview
Edwards and Muhammad’s first fight in March 2021 ended in a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye and rendered him unable to continue in the opening seconds of Round 2. In his next fight, Edwards dominated Nate Diaz at UFC 263 to earn his first title shot.
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) claimed the welterweight title with a knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Since then, “Rocky” has defended his belt twice – in a rematch against Usman at UFC 286, and most recently Colby Covington this past December at UFC 296.
Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is unbeaten in his past 10 fights with the only hiccup as a no contest against Edwards. Since his fight against Edwards, Muhammad has notched wins over Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, Sean Brady and former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad odds
DraftKings released the opening odds for the main event, in which Edwards is a sizable -270 favorite over Muhammad, who’s a +220 underdog.
How to watch Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad at UFC 304
When: July 27
Where: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones continues to take shots at Tom Aspinall.
UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] continues to take shots at [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
Interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will run things back with [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event July 27 in Manchester, England.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Curtis won, I’ve seen scenarios like this time and time again. Dude prematurely drinking his own Kool-Aid ends up with a huge piece of humble pie. I mean If Sergei can touch Tom that easy, I’m sure Curtis can too. When Curtis decides to go, he’s a lot faster than people realize, and he hits hard. A few well-timed shots and that strong top game, it could be a long night for old Tommy boy. Either way, I’ll be watching, excited to have some additional footage.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if Curtis won, i’ve seen scenarios like this time and time again. Dude prematurely drinking his own Kool-Aid ends up with a huge piece of humble pie. I mean If Sergei can touch Tom that easy, I’m sure Curtis can too. When Curtis decides to go, he’s a lot… https://t.co/wA2XcZpa03
When asked if he’s showing bias towards Blaydes, Jones had no issues admitting that.
“Sure, if I’m being completely honest, I always root for the Americans.. especially American wrestlers.. at the end of the day no matter who wins, Curtis is no walk in the park either. The only lane I’ve ever known, the fast one. I know no other speed. Can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at the big boy table.”
Sure, if I’m being completely honest, I always root for the Americans.. especially American wrestlers.. at the end of the day no matter who wins, Curtis is no walk in the park either. The only lane I’ve ever known, the fast one. I know no other speed. Can’t remember the last time… https://t.co/HyBY0HDDsh
Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) revealed that his first title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) will take place Nov. 9 in New York in what is expected to be the UFC’s annual pay-per-view card in Madison Square Garden.
