UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies

Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape have become the worst of enemies and saw their rivalry turn into a water bottle fight at UFC 304’s ceremonial weigh ins on Friday (replay HERE). The two will meet at UFC 304 later tonight (Sat., July 27, 2024) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

In case you don’t know, Mokaev and Kape absolutely hate each other. The two flyweights first forged bad blood earlier this year when they reportedly threw down at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. As if that out-of-cage scuffle wasn’t enough, Mokaev and Kape brawled at the fighter hotel earlier this week ahead of their clash at UFC 304.

Maybe all of the unneeded drama is why their high-profile flyweight matchup was bumped from UFC 304’s PPV main card all the way down to the early “Prelims.”

On Friday, the two nearly got into another brawl on stage during their final staredown. Luckily, security was there to quickly intervene and stop Mokaev from practically running over to Kape to start a fight. Check it out below:

After the two flyweights were separated and brought off stage, the promotion inexplicably had them cross paths again behind the curtains. That’s when Mokaev absolutely lost it and tried to attack Kape. He ended up chucking a water bottle as more security held him back. Someone can be heard screaming, “I’m going to kill you motherf—ker.”

See the backstage altercation below and let us know who wins Saturday’s grudge match!

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 304 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 304: “Edwards vs. Muhammad 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 304 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Paddy Pimblett isn’t going anywhere after all.

The rising lightweight star has officially signed a new UFC contract ahead of his main card scrap with Bobby Green later tonight (Sat., July 27, 2024) at UFC 304 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Pimblett was entering this weekend with one fight left on his current deal.

“The Baddy” announced his UFC re-signing during a recent episode of UFC 304 “Embedded.” Check it out below:

“New contract signed,” said Pimblett. “I’m not going nowhere.”

Pimblett, who enters his third-straight PPV main card appearance later tonight at UFC 304, is one of the biggest English stars on the roster today. He may have encountered a few obstacles throughout his UFC career, but “The Baddy” is 5-0 inside of the Octagon and looks to be getting more and more confident each time he competes.

This weekend will be a huge test for the 29-year-old as he goes up against “King” in Manchester. Green is one of the savviest veterans in the lightweight division today and a guy who always delivers in big-time spots. It’s going to be up to Pimblett to shut him down early, find the finish, and prove why UFC made a good decision re-signing him.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 304 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 304: “Edwards vs. Muhammad 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 304 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight rivals Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad will clash TONIGHT (Sat., July 27, 2024) at UFC 304 inside Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

It’s been more than three years since these two first men inside UFC Apex. A dominant first round from Edwards was offset by an eye poke that unfortunately ended the contest entirely (see it here), resulting in unfinished business. Since then, both have achieved a lot. Edwards dethroned Kamaru Usman (it was so awesome) and has defended his title twice, while Muhammad scored the five best wins of his entire career in consecutive fashion. Both men have leveled up since the first fight, but it remains to be seen if the dynamic from the first fight remains in place or changes entirely.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Edwards vs. Muhammad Betting Odds

• Leon Edwards victory: -258
• Leon Edwards via TKO/KO/DQ: +300
• Leon Edwards via submission: +1400
• Leon Edwards via decision: +100
• Belal Muhammad victory: +210
• Belal Muhammad via TKO/KO/DQ: +1000
• Belal Muhammad via submission: +1400
• Belal Muhammad via decision: +350
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Edwards Wins

Edwards is one of the sport’s finest technicians. He receives criticism for failing to really push his advantages, but “Rocky” understands well how to stay ahead and keep himself in control of the dance.

In this match up, Edwards is the far superior striker. Specifically, he’s much sharper at range and generally more powerful. Muhammad has the conditioning and activity to keep up with Edwards, but the English champion is far more likely to hurt his opponent in any given exchange.

For that reason, I’d like to see Edwards really focus on sitting down on his punches, as well as punishing the open side with kicks. To have any shot at the upset, Muhammad is going to have to be aggressive and in his face. Edwards has to set a pace he can maintain, but in general, answering Muhammad’s pressure with genuinely damaging shots will go a long way in easing that pressure and allowing Edwards to control the fight.

Oh, Muhammad also tends to dip into left high kicks. Edwards caught him once, and perhaps if he lands with a shin rather than foot, that’s the end of this would-be rivalry.

How Muhammad Wins

Muhammad is a crafty and tactical fighter. Solid skills in all areas allow him to adjust to his opponents, pressuring or fighting at range, forcing takedowns or opting to sprawl-and-brawl.

Against Edwards, pressure is the name of the game. Muhammad cannot hope to out-slick Edwards at distance. He can, however, aim to throw more and stay busier than the champion, who is prone to taking rounds off and letting exchanges slip away even in the midst of dominant performances.

Closing distance isn’t going to be easy, but it will be mandatory if Muhammad is to find success on the feet. He has to the use the jab to push Edwards near the fence and begin building combinations. When he does start to open up, Muhammad has to use body punches and frames carefully to avoid the clinch, which is another area Edwards uses to create big damage.

Navigating the clinch will be tricky, but Muhammad can avoid elbows by changing levels into his shots. If the shot lands, that’s fantastic, but if not, Muhammad has to break fully back to the boxing range rather than try to hang onto the upper body ties.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Edwards vs. Muhammad Prediction

Muhammad is a crafty veteran who has made the most of his athletic gifts and over-performed on several occasions, but this is a brutal match up for him.

Edwards’ range advantage is going to a massive problem for Muhammad, and it’s unlikely he can wrestle his way through it. Furthermore, does Muhammad even have a boxing advantage here? I’m not convinced. He might walk through punishing kicks and straights only to still get touched up on the inside. What then? I have a hard time see Muhammad overwhelm Edwards with pure wrestling after Usman and Covington — an absolutely terrible iteration of Covington, admittedly — failed to do so.

Unless Edwards gives this away via comically-bad decision making, he should cruise to victory.

Prediction: Edwards via decision (+100)

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 304 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 304: “Edwards vs. Belal 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.