UFC 304 post-event facts: Tom Aspinall shortens fight time record in rare interim title defense

The UFC made its return to Manchester, England on Saturday with UFC 304 at Co-Op Live, and the two title fights on the card couldn’t have ended much differently.

In the main event, Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) captured the welterweight title from Leon Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in a drawn-out unanimous decision, while in the co-headliner Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) needed just 60 seconds to knock out Curtis Blaydes (18-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) and defend his interim heavyweight title while avenging his lone octagon defeat.

For more on the numbers to come out of both title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 304.

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Event stats

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $307,500.

Aspinall and Mick Parkin earned $100,000 UFC 304 fight-night bonuses. Paddy Pimblett earned two bonuses for $200,000

Debuting fighters went 0-1 on the card.

UFC 304 drew an announced attendance of 17, 907 for a live gate of $6.72 million.

Betting favorites went 9-5 on the card.

Betting favorites fell to 18-7 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 14-bout card was 2:48:47.

Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards

Muhammad became the first Palestinian champion in UFC history.

Muhammad became the 12th fighter to hold the undisputed UFC welterweight title.

Muhammad improved to 14-1 with one no contest in his past 15 fights dating back to February 2017. His lone defeat came against Geoff Neal at UFC on ESPN+ 1.

Muhammad’s 11-fight UFC unbeaten streak at welterweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Muhammad’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for fifth-most in divisional history behind Neil Magny (22), Georges St-Pierre (19), Matt Brown (17) and Matt Hughes (16).

Muhammad has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by decision. That includes 12 of his 15 UFC wins.

Muhammad’s 12 decision victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with St-Pierre for second-most in divisional history behind Magny (14).

Muhammad’s 12 decision victories in UFC competition are tied for third-most in company history behind Magny (14) and Brad Tavares (13).

Edwards has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.

Tom Aspinall def. Curtis Blaydes

Aspinall became the third fighter in UFC history to achieve an interim title defense. Andrei Arlovski (heavyweight) and Renan Barao (bantamweight) also accomplished the feat.

Aspinall has earned all 15 of his career victories by stoppage.

Aspinall’s average fight time of 2:02 in UFC competition is the shortest in company history.

Aspinall lands 8.07 significant strikes per minute in UFC heavyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

Aspinall lands 8.07 significant strikes per minute in UFC competition, the third-highest rate in divisional history behind Casey O’Neill (8.41) and Victor Henry (8.34).

Blaydes has suffered all five of his career losses by knockout.

Paddy Pimblett def. King Green

Paddy Pimblett’s (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the second-longest active streak in the division behind Islam Makhachev (13)

Pimblett has earned four of his six UFC victories by stoppage.

King Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) suffered his first submission loss since Jan. 24, 2009 – a span of 5,663 days and 39 fights.

Gregory Rodrigues def. Christian Leroy Duncan

Gregory Rodrigues (16-5 MMA, 7-2 UFC) has earned two of his seven UFC victories by decision.

Christian Leroy Duncan (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) fell to 2-2 in his past four fights after starting his career 8-0.

Duncan has suffered both of his career losses by decision.

Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze

Arnold Allen (20-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) has earned seven of his 11 UFC victories by decision.

Giga Chikadze (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by decision.

Nathaniel Wood def. Daniel Pineda

Nathaniel Wood (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) improved to 4-1 since he moved up to the featherweight division in July 2022.

Daniel Pineda (28-16 MMA, 5-7 UFC) fell to 2-3 with one no contest since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2020.

Pineda has suffered four of his seven UFC losses by decision.

Bruna Brasil def. Molly McCann

Bruna Brasil (10-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned both of her UFC victories by decision.

Molly McCann (14-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) fell to 1-1 since she dropped to the UFC strawweight division in February 2024.

McCann has suffered four of her seven career losses by decision.

Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape

Muhammad Mokaev’s (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) seven-fight UFC winning streak at flyweight is the longest active streak in the division.

Manel Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has suffered all three of his UFC losses by decision.

Oban Elliott def. Preston Parsons

Oban Elliott (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.

Preston Parsons (11-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has alternated losses and wins over his past six fights.

Modestas Bukauskas def. Marcin Prachnio

Modestas Bukauskas (16-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) improved 3-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2023.

Bukauskas has earned 12 of his 16 career victories by stoppage.

Sam Patterson def. Kiefer Crosbie

Sam Patterson (12-2-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned 11 of his 12 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by first-round submission.

Kiefer Crosbie (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by stoppage.

Mick Parkin def. Lukasz Brzeski

Mick Parkin’s (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Alexander Volkov for the longest active streak in the division. Parkin has earned seven of his 10 career victories by stoppage.

Lukasz Brzeski (9-5-1 MMA, 1-4 UFC) has suffered three of his five career losses by stoppage. He’s been knocked out in all of those defeats.

Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean

Shauna Bannon (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned four of her six career victories by decision.

Alice Ardelean (8-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered four of her six career losses by decision.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.

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