Tom Aspinall slammed UFC heavyweight great Jon Jones after knocking out Curtis Blaydes on Saturday night in Manchester, Leon Edwards suffered a shock loss to Belal Muhammad and Paddy Pimblett beat Bobby Green.
Sunday, July 28, 2024, 8:51am, UK
Tom Aspinall retained his interim UFC heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 on Saturday night, setting up the British fighter for an epic showdown with fellow division great Jon Jones.
Aspinall rocked Blaydes with a powerful right punch, sending the challenger to the canvas, before finishing the bout with a succession of right punches to the head, ending the bout one minute into the first round and drawing attention to the blockbuster heavyweight contest.
Aspinall, 31, challenged Jones to a unification bout. Jones, widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has been sidelined since his last fight in March 2023 with a torn pectoral tendon.
His absence makes an interim champion necessary. There are still problems, including the fact that Jones has at least one more title defense to clear.
“Anybody want to see Tom Aspinall versus Jon Jones?” Aspinall told a cheering crowd as UFC visited Manchester for the first time since 2016.
Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett share a pizza in celebration after their big wins at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Aspinall (15-3) looked straight into the camera and called out Jones.
“I just think I'm better than you,” Aspinall said. “I know I can beat you in a match.”
Meanwhile, Belal Muhammad claimed the welterweight crown after winning a five-round unanimous decision over British champion Leon Edwards. The American boxer from Illinois was pleased to beat Edwards in his home country.
“All the people who are booing, I think they have tears in their eyes,” Muhammad said. “Chicago now has a true champion.”
Muhammad (24-3), unbeaten in his 11th fight, took to his knees with blood streaming from his face moments after putting the championship belt around his waist. He hasn't lost since 2019.
Edwards (22-4) won the belt by defeating Kamaru Usman in 2022 and has successfully defended the title twice.
Edwards and Muhammad fought to an unsatisfactory no-contest in 2021, but it sparked win streaks for both fighters: Edwards won four in a row, while Muhammad won five in a row.
Paddy Pimblett celebrates his win against Bobby Green at UFC 304 in Manchester
It took Blaydes just 15 seconds to win their opening heavyweight bout when Aspinall suffered a knee injury.
“Now I have my revenge, thank God,” Aspinall said.
Aspinall became the first British heavyweight to win gold when he knocked out Sergey Pavlovic in the first round at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden last November.
The interim title bout was a late addition to the card after Jones ruptured his pectoral tendon in training just a few weeks before the bout, requiring surgery and forcing his heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at the Garden to be scrapped.
Jones and Miocic are set to fight in the future, possibly in a superfight at the Garden in November, with the winner facing Aspinall for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Jones, who turned 37 in July, had previously hinted at a fight with Miocic on social media, writing at the time, “16 weeks until I face the most decorated heavyweight fighter in UFC history. With training camp about to begin in earnest I feel like I'm in a great position.”
Paddy Pimblett says he answered his critics with a big win over Bobby Green at UFC 304.
Against an underdog like Blaydes, Aspinall earned his 12th career knockout victory and has only advanced past the second round once in his nine UFC bouts.
“I'm the best finisher in the UFC,” Aspinall said.
Liverpudlian and fan-favorite Paddy Pimblett also submitted Bobby Green in the first round to record his eighth straight win (sixth in the UFC).
Pimblett choked Green out at 3 minutes 22 seconds into the first round, signaling to the promotion that he would be in the main event bout and signaling to the lightweights that they were going to have a shot at the championship.
“The statement has been made,” Pimblett said. “To all the haters who said I'd never be ranked, what now? Are they going to move the goalposts again?”
