5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 304

5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 3040 of 5

Belal Muhammad prepares to fight Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight titleBen Roberts Photo/Getty Images

UFC 304 went down on Saturday in Manchester, England, and the card opened the door to a whole host of extremely exciting matchups.

The main event saw England’s own Leon Edwards defending his welterweight title against streaking challenger Belal Muhammad. Edwards was supposed to have a glorious night on home soil, but Muhammad played the spoiler, wrestling the champion to a unanimous decision win—and the belt.

There was also a belt in the co-main event, with England’s Tom Aspinall defending the interim heavyweight strap against top contender Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall made it quick, finishing Blaydes inside a round to cement himself as the sport’s top heavyweight.

Earlier on the card, the UK’s Paddy Pimblett picked up the biggest win of his pro career, choking lightweight veteran Bobby Green unconscious inside a round. That was preceded by a big win from British featherweight Arnold Allen, who beat Giga Chikadze by decision to prove he’s still one of the best featherweights alive.

Keep scrolling for the fights we’re hoping will be made when everyone is healed up.

Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov1 of 5

Belal Muhammad reacts after his UFC welterweight championship bout against Leon Edwards Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Almost nobody believed Belal Muhammad was capable of winning the UFC welterweight title, but here we are. He dominated Leon Edwards in Saturday’s main event and will now have to shift his focus to the many dangerous contenders at the top of the welterweight division.

There are several fighters currently deserving of a shot at Muhammad’s welterweight belt, including Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena. However, nobody deserves the opportunity more than Kazakhstan’s Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Rakhmonov is 18-0 as a pro mixed martial artist, with wins over the likes of Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Geoff Neal, and Neil Magny. He is clearly the top contender in the division, and arguably deserved the chance to fight for the belt before Muhammad.

With the belt around his waist, Muhammad will have to shift his focus to the likes of Rakhmonov, Garry and Della Maddalena. He might be an underdog against all of the above, but as he proved on Saturday, he can’t be counted out.

Leon Edwards vs. Ian Garry2 of 5

Leon Edwards prepares to face Belal MuhammadChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Leon Edwards looked like he was set for a great title run, with defences against Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman behind him. In the end, however, Edwards’ title reign ended prematurely, as he was comprehensively outfought by Belal Muhammad.

After losing to Muhammad, Edwards will have to return to the drawing board. From that vantage point, there are some great fights for him—namely, whomever of Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena isn’t getting the next title shot.

If it’s up to us, Edwards’ next fight will be a clash with the unbeaten Garry. Garry is looking for a big step up after a decision win over Michael Page at UFC 303, and a fight with a former champ like Edwards clearly satisfies that requirement. The two fighters are also former training partners, which makes their clash all the more appealing.

Book this welterweight fight for a future pay-per-view, and give the winner a title shot.

Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones3 of 5

Tom Aspinall of England reacts after his knockout victory against Curtis BlaydesBen Roberts Photo/Getty Images

Arguably the biggest moment of UFC 304 occurred in the co-main event when interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall sought to defend his title against Curtis Blaydes.

It was the second time Aspinall and Blaydes had met in the Octagon. Their first meeting ended in disaster when Aspinall suffered a horrific leg injury off of a kick just 15 seconds into the fight.

The Brit made sure their second meeting had a more decisive end, knocking Blaydes out in the first minute of the first round.

The win brought Aspinall to 15-3 overall and bolstered a resume that includes first-round wins over top heavyweights like Sergei Pavlovich, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, and Serghei Spivak.

At this point, there’s no question that he’s the best heavyweight alive — contrary to what Jon Jones might say.

Jones, the greatest light heavyweight in UFC history, hiked up to heavyweight early last year and claimed the division’s vacant undisputed title with a first-round submission of Ciryl Gane.

It was an incredible moment for the MMA legend, but injuries have kept him out of action since, and frankly eviscerated any argument that he is the sport’s top heavyweight. One of the best of all time? Sure. The king of the heavyweights? No way. Not until he beats Aspinall — and the list of people who believe he can do that is getting shorter.

Ever since his win over Gane, Jones has been linked to a title defense opposite former champ Stipe Miocic, who has not fought since he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in 2021.

That fight is a farce. Jones needs to unify his title with Aspinall’s or risk retiring with a reputation as a great champion who avoided the last and arguably toughest challenge of his career.

Paddy Pimblett vs. Renato Moicano4 of 5

Paddy Pimblett reacts after his victory against King GreenChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Liverpudlian lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett returned to action on the UFC 304 main card, taking arguably the toughest test of his career opposite fan favorite veteran King Green. He passed the test with flying colors, choking Green out inside a round.

For my money, it’s the first truly impressive thing Pimblett has done in the UFC. Earlier in his Octagon career, he picked up stoppage wins over a couple of unranked fighters, and more recently defeated the ghost of Tony Ferguson by decision. All of that was impressive, but it didn’t do much to validate his massive hype.

His win over Green was different. At this point, nobody has any illusions about Green becoming a UFC champ, but even at 37, he remains a tough test for most lightweights on the roster.

Pimblett dominated him.

After the win, the Brit is no doubt ready for a ranked foe, and he’s long called for a fight with No. 10-ranked lightweight Renato Moicano from Brazil.

Moicano, a fan favorite himself, is set to take on France’s Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of the UFC’s September return to Paris. Whether he wins or loses, he’ll still be in the top-15 and seems like just the guy to provide Pimblett’s next big test.

Arnold Allen vs. Yair Rodriguez5 of 5

Arnold Allen punches Giga ChikadzeBen Roberts Photo/Getty Images

England’s Arnold Allen has long been one of the top fighters in the UFC featherweight division, but he entered the Octagon at UFC 304 with decision losses to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev behind him.

He needed a win in his main card showdown with Georgian kickboxer Giga Chikadze, and he got it, scoring a unanimous decision win after three rounds.

The win over Chikadze isn’t going to turn Allen into a title challenger, but it cemented him as one of the best featherweights on the roster, and it should set him up for another big fight shortly.

Our pick for his next opponent is Brit Yair Rodriguez, who is perched at No. 4 in the rankings. Rodriguez is a former interim champ and hasn’t fought since a submission loss to Brian Ortega in February.

He’ll be ready to return to action soon, and Allen seems like just the guy to welcome him back.