UFC Predictions: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2

The UFC returns to the UK this weekend. This time, the promotion is set to hit Manchester for a major pay-per-view event.

UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 features two title fights, with both the welterweight crown and the interim heavyweight crown on the line.

This looks set to be one of the best events of the summer, so it's one worth watching, even for US-based fans who will have to adjust to a different time.

Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2.

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#1. UFC welterweight title: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad

Like the co-headliner of this show, this fight is a rematch that's been some time in the making. Like Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes, Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad is also a re-do of a fight that ended in horrible fashion.

In this instance, the bout lasted a little longer than Aspinall vs. Blaydes, but only slightly. However, there is plenty to be taken from that initial fight.

It took place back in 2021, during the second peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and wasn't initially supposed to happen. Edwards was instead supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev, with Muhammad stepping in on relatively late notice.

During the fight, 'Remember the Name' looked like he was struggling. The usually counter-based Edwards was more aggressive than usual and appeared to be picking his foe apart, easily winning the first round.

When the second came, though, an errant eye poke caught Muhammad and prevented him from continuing. Both men promised to fight again, but unsurprisingly, circumstances intervened.

Edwards ended up earning a title shot and unseating Kamaru Usman in an upset. He's since beaten 'The Nigerian Nightmare' in a rematch and also turned back Colby Covington, proving himself as the world's best 170-pounder.

Muhammad has also done well, winning five straight fights to earn his title shot. Sure, he hasn't always been exciting to watch, but he has been hugely effective, grinding out the likes of Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque.

So can 'Remember the Name' grind down 'Rocky'? Muhammad is a dangerous opponent for Edwards, but it seems highly unlikely that he's going to be able to use his clinch work and wrestling to beat the native of Birmingham.

That's because, despite his kickboxing background, Edwards has developed a remarkably effective wrestling game in his own right. He's not likely to take Muhammad down, but he could certainly prevent the American from gaining the control that usually allows him to win.

More to the point, 'Rocky' showed in their first fight that he has very little respect for Muhammad's striking, and seemed to be able to let his hands go. Given that he's improved since then too, this could be a chance for him to pick up a rare finish.

Don't expect an explosive early stoppage from Edwards, but it seems unlikely that his title reign will end here. Instead, the prediction is a late stoppage in favor of 'Rocky'.

The Pick: Edwards via fourth-round TKO

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#2. UFC interim heavyweight title: Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes

This is a huge fight for the heavyweight division for several reasons. Firstly, it's arguable that despite Tom Aspinall holding the interim heavyweight title, he should be recognized as the division's 'real' champion.

That's because the Liverpool native has been fighting regularly, claiming his title by knocking out the dangerous Sergei Pavlovich last November. Undisputed champ Jon Jones, on the other hand, hasn't defended his crown since beating Ciryl Gane for it last March.

Why Aspinall is having to defend against Curtis Blaydes rather than facing Jones in a unification bout is a story for another day. Unfortunately, it feels unlikely that the winner of this one, regardless of who it is, will take on 'Bones'.

Who will win, though? Despite Aspinall's momentum and star quality, it's a difficult bout to pick overall.

It's hard to take a lot out of their first meeting, which occurred in the summer of 2022. It could be suggested that this one barely even counts as a rematch.

Essentially, the first fight had barely moved out of the feeling-out stage when Aspinall blew his knee out, resulting in an immediate TKO stoppage in favor of 'Razor'.

Therefore, the big question here remains the same. Can Blaydes, who is probably the most powerful wrestler in the division, take down Aspinall and neutralize his more dangerous offense?

'Razor' is capable of grounding Aspinall, that's for sure. He's taken down every fighter he's ever faced.

The issue for him is that despite boasting a ferocious ground-and-pound game, Blaydes isn't the best finisher, something that has caused him to earn heat with the UFC brass before.

Aspinall, on the other hand, is a truly lethal finisher who is capable of dispatching any foe in a moment. Not only does he possess remarkably fast hands on the feet as well as brutal power, but he's also deadly on the ground, as both Alexander Volkov and Andrei Arlovski found out.

Blaydes will likely attempt to stand with Aspinall, to begin with, but it's easy to imagine the Englishman tagging the big wrestler, forcing him to shoot in.

'Razor' will probably be able to take Aspinall down at least once, but whether he can keep him there is another thing entirely, especially if he's already hurt.

Therefore, it feels likely that Aspinall will either get back to his feet and land something nasty, or even put Blaydes on his back to finish him off. Either way, the Liverpool native is too explosive for 'Razor' and in front of his countrymen, it's unlikely he'll lose.

The Pick: Aspinall via first-round KO

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#3. UFC 304: The Main Card

In a lightweight bout, Paddy Pimblett takes on Bobby Green. Despite Pimblett dealing with former interim champ Tony Ferguson last time out, there's a big chance that this will be the biggest test for 'The Baddy' to date.

Pimblett has a lot of hype around him, but equally, plenty of fans believe the native of Liverpool has been protected somewhat too. Despite this, he's largely displayed good skills in the octagon, albeit more on the ground than the feet.

Whether he can take Green down, though, is another question. 'King' is a powerful and explosive wrestler with good takedown defense, and he's also a solid boxer.

Despite this, the veteran is now 37 years old and has looked punchy at points, most notably in his KO loss to Jalin Turner last year. More importantly, it doesn't feel like Dana White and company would match Pimblett with a bad stylistic foe just yet.

With that in mind, expect 'The Baddy' to land a knockdown on Green and then dispatch him with a submission of some kind, probably earning a $50k bonus in the process. The pick is Pimblett via tapout.

At flyweight, a major grappler vs. striker bout will see Muhammad Mokaev take on Manel Kape. While Mokaev is ranked at No. 6 in the division and Kape is No. 8, the dominant position of champ Alexandre Pantoja could mean the winner here gets the next title shot.

Based on what both men have shown so far, it's hard to look past Mokaev to claim the win. 'The Punisher' is a phenomenally strong wrestler with a brutal top game, and he's also deceptively fast, too. Essentially, if he can put an opponent on their back, it's hard to stop him.

Kape is a much better striker than the UK-based Dagestani, and in fact, he might be the division's most explosive kickboxer, point blank. However, 'Starboy' has never fought a wrestler as good as Mokaev before, and did struggle with the takedown of Matheus Nicolau at points.

It isn't likely to be pretty, but the most likely outcome here will be to see Mokaev physically bully Kape for three rounds. The pick is Mokaev via decision.

Finally, at featherweight, Arnold Allen battles Giga Chikadze. This fight should be plenty of fun to watch, as it pits two of the 145-pound division's most technically sound strikers against one another.

Allen is coming off two losses, but realistically, there's no shame in losing to either Movsar Evloev or Max Holloway. In fact, 'Almighty' arguably gave Holloway one of his toughest fights in recent memory.

Chikadze, meanwhile, hasn't fought in nearly a year since his win over Alex Caceres. 'Ninja' has been sporadic in general as of late, only fighting twice since August 2021.

How do these pairs match up? In all honesty, it's a hard fight to pick. Allen probably has the edge in boxing, while Chikadze's kicks are extremely dangerous, particularly his patented kick to the body.

With that said, it's hard to shake the image of the Georgian being largely pieced up by the hands of Calvin Kattar in their 2022 fight, and Allen is probably a cleaner boxer than 'The Boston Finisher'. With that in mind, assuming he doesn't make any silly errors, the pick is Allen via decision.

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#4. UFC 304: The Prelims

Picks in bold:

UFC featherweight bout: Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda

UFC strawweight bout: Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil

UFC heavyweight bout: Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski

UFC welterweight bout: Oban Elliott vs. Preston Parsons

UFC welterweight bout: Sam Patterson vs. Kiefer Crosbie

UFC middleweight bout: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Gregory Rodrigues

UFC light-heavyweight bout: Marcin Prachnio vs. Modestas Bukauskas

UFC strawweight bout: Shauna Bannon vs. Alice Ardelean

UFC bantamweight bout: Caolan Loughran vs. Jake Hadley