Tag: UFC 304

Paddy Pimblett Signs New Contract Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Value Has Been Acknowledged & Rewarded’

Paddy Pimblett’s manager recently confirmed that “The Baddy” is staying put in the UFC, having inked an opulent new contract with the MMA promotion. The 29-year-old Scouser is set to battle seasoned lightweight King Green on the main card of UFC 304. The eighth numbered pay-per-view event of 2024 is slated for this Saturday at […]

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Paddy Pimblett’s manager recently confirmed that “The Baddy” is staying put in the UFC, having inked an opulent new contract with the MMA promotion.

The 29-year-old Scouser is set to battle seasoned lightweight King Green on the main card of UFC 304. The eighth numbered pay-per-view event of 2024 is slated for this Saturday at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

In the lead-up to the fight, Pimblett revealed that his sixth appearance in the Octagon would mark the conclusion of his current UFC contract. However, “The Baddy” raised eyebrows in an interview with MMA Junkie by hinting that he might step away from the MMA promotion in favor of high-profile boxing matches against YouTube influencers.

This revelation didn’t sit well with many fans, as Pimblett is a shining star in the European MMA scene and his popularity makes him a prized gem in the UFC’s crown.

To their relief, Pimblett’s manager and Cage Warriors promoter Graham Boylan recently confirmed on X that his client has re-signed with the MMA promotion.

“The Baddy has signed a new deal with @ufc. He’s very happy to see his value has been acknowledged & handsomely rewarded. Congrats to all involved,” Boylan tweeted

Pimblett Comments On New Contract With UFC

In episode five of the UFC 304: Embedded Vlog Series, Pimblett personally confirmed that he has signed a fresh contract.

Although the specifics of the Brit’s agreement remain undisclosed, he appeared enthusiastic while discussing the news.

“New contract signed,” Pimblett said. “For all them ***** saying that I’m going anywhere, I’m not going nowhere, b*tch.”

Pimblett continued his impressive run in the Octagon eight months ago, securing his fifth straight win with a dominant unanimous decision over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December 2023.

Continue Reading Paddy Pimblett Signs New Contract Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Value Has Been Acknowledged & Rewarded’ at MMA News.

UFC 304 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Edwards vs. Muhammad 2, Aspinall vs. Blaydes 2, Green vs. Pimblett, & More

UFC 304 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for Saturday’s lineup. The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, July 27, at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 […]

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UFC 304 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for Saturday’s lineup.

The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, July 27, at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.

Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards, who is tasked with getting the better of Belal Muhammad at the second time of trying if he’s to successfully defend his title on home soil once again.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see another English champ in action as interim heavyweight kingpin Tom Aspinall runs it back with Curtis Blaydes. Their second clash comes two years on from an injury rendering the Brit unable to continue after just 15 seconds at the London-held UFC Fight Night in July 2022.

Also set to make the walk on Saturday night will be the likes of lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett and his teammate Molly McCann, another home favorite in Arnold Allen, and the undefeated Muhammad Mokaev.

Ahead of the event, you can get some help from the group of experts at MMA News by checking out their predictions for the UFC 304 main card here.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 Betting Odds

Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 304 (as of 7/27), courtesy of DraftKings.

Main Card:

  • Leon Edwards (-265) vs. Belal Muhammad (+215)
  • Tom Aspinall (-395) vs. Curtis Blaydes (+310)
  • King Green (-115) vs. Paddy Pimblett (-105)
  • Christian Leroy Duncan (-135) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (+114)
  • Arnold Allen (-238) vs. Giga Chikadze (+195)

Preliminary Card:

  • Nathaniel Wood (-380) vs. Daniel Pineda (+300)
  • Molly McCann (-345) vs. Bruna Brasil (+275)
  • Caolán Loughran (-225) vs. Jake Hadley (+185)
  • Modestas Bukauskas (-155) vs. Marcin Prachnio (+130)

Early Preliminary Card:

  • Oban Elliott (+136) vs. Preston Parsons (-162)
  • Muhammad Mokaev (-185) vs. Manel Kape (+154)
  • Sam Patterson (-440) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (+340)
  • Mick Parkin (-455) vs. ?ukasz Brzeski (+360)
  • Shauna Bannon (-180) vs. Alice Ardelean (+150)

Continue Reading UFC 304 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Edwards vs. Muhammad 2, Aspinall vs. Blaydes 2, Green vs. Pimblett, & More at MMA News.

Curtis Blaydes opens up about his speech impediment ahead of UFC 304

Curtis Blaydes opens up about his speech impediment ahead of UFC 304Ahead of the biggest fight of his UFC career, Curtis Blaydes opened up about his speech impediment and the…

Curtis Blaydes opens up about his speech impediment ahead of UFC 304

Ahead of the biggest fight of his UFC career, Curtis Blaydes opened up about his speech impediment and the impact it’s had on him.

Razor’ is set to challenge interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in the UFC 304 co-main event in what will be his first shot at UFC gold since making his promotional debut eight years ago. Ahead of their highly anticipated title tilt at Co-op Live in Manchester, Blaydes looked back on his younger years growing up on the mean streets of Chicago where kids would often make fun of his speech disorder.

“I never really saw myself as like a spokesman for speech impediments, but it was my dad… He also had a speech impediment,” Blaydes said during his UFC 304 media day appearance. “I got it from him. It’s hereditary. It’s not because of CTE. Let’s get that out there. I know I get asked that the most.

“I used to… Whenever people asked for my name, I used to go c…c…c… They’d look at me like, ‘Are you special? Do you not know how to pronounce your own name?’ It used to make me feel some type of way. Now I judge them. Are you that ignorant that you think that me as a grown man, I don’t know how to pronounce my own name? I have a speech impediment. I’ve gotten over it, but it took me a while.

“I was a kid in high school that wouldn’t raise my hand if I knew the answer. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want people to laugh and call that stuff. I just want those people who also have a speech impediment to know that if people are laughing at you, it doesn’t mean anything about you. It means a whole lot more about them and their character.“

At one point, Blaydes had considered a career as a history teacher but refrained from pursuing it, suggesting that the cruelty of kids played a role in his decision.

“Kids are mean. I can’t be in a classroom with them for eight hours,” Aspinall said in a prior interview with the New York Post. “There [are] so many people who just think, if you cannot speak…medically correct, that you’re not intelligent. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of us who have speech impediments are really, really intelligent.”

For what it’s worth, ‘Razor’ is doing pretty good with his chosen career.

Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes looks to go two-up on Tom Aspinall

Amassing an impressive 13-4 record inside the Octagon, Curtis Blaydes has bested some of the heavyweight division’s heaviest hitters over the years, including former world champions Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos. He’s won four of his last five, earning wins over the likes of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, Jailton Almeida, and his UFC 304 opponent, Tom Aspinall.

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Squaring off at a Fight Night event in London two years ago, Aspinall went down 15 seconds into their scrap due to a devastating knee injury. Aspinall has been chomping at the bit to run it back ever since.

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He’ll finally get his wish on Saturday night when he becomes the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim title.

UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream

UFC 304 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins! The upcoming pay-per-view event at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena provides a chance for UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. After recording a successful defenses […]

Continue Reading UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream at MMA News.

UFC 304 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins!

The upcoming pay-per-view event at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena provides a chance for UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

After recording a successful defenses at the expense of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in 2023, “Rocky” will look to settle unfinished business with Belal Muhammad after their 2021 UFC Fight Night headliner ended in a no contest.

Title stakes also come in the co-main event, which will see Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall back in action. He defends the strap he captured with a brutal knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last November in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes.

Elsewhere on the UFC 304 card, Paddy Pimblett gets his first shot at the lightweight rankings opposite King Green, flyweight standouts Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape attempt to stake their claim for a shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s gold, and Arnold Allen plans to get back on track in the featherweight division at the expense of Giga Chikadze.

Ahead of the event, 27 out of the 28 fighters successfully made weight, with Jake Hadley’s one-pound miss of the bantamweight limit marking the sole indiscretion on the scale.

Nevertheless, every fight has remained intact, and all that remains on Friday is for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 304 ceremonial weigh-ins!

Check out a live stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, commencing at 2 PM ET.

UFC 304 Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream

Continue Reading UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Ceremonial Weigh-In Live Stream at MMA News.

UFC Full Fight: Relive Leon Edwards’ Trilogy Fight With Kamaru Usman Ahead Of UFC 304 Title Defense

UFC 304 headliner Leon Edwards got his title reign underway with a successful defense on home soil in March 2023. Edwards is set to main event this weekend’s pay-per-view event at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where he’ll put the UFC’s 170-pound championship on the line against Belal Muhammad. Saturday’s contest marks Edwards’ […]

Continue Reading UFC Full Fight: Relive Leon Edwards’ Trilogy Fight With Kamaru Usman Ahead Of UFC 304 Title Defense at MMA News.

UFC 304 headliner Leon Edwards got his title reign underway with a successful defense on home soil in March 2023.

Edwards is set to main event this weekend’s pay-per-view event at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where he’ll put the UFC’s 170-pound championship on the line against Belal Muhammad.

Saturday’s contest marks Edwards’ second time competing in the United Kingdom since capturing the divisional crown in 2022. After unseating Kamaru Usman with a last-gasp head kick in Salt Lake City — leveling their score at one win apiece — the pair ran it back in England’s capital.

Headlining UFC 286 in London, “Rocky” and “The Nigerian Nightmare” completed their trilogy fight, going the full five-round distance inside The O2. It was ultimately Edwards who had his hand raised on the scorecards, completing his second straight win over the welterweight legend in the process.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Edwards vs. Usman fight from UFC 286 on its official YouTube channel.

After a successful stop-off to comfortably beat Colby Covington in Las Vegas last December, Edwards will be targeting an even more definitive result on home turf this weekend.

He’s vowed to violently stall the championship ambitions of Muhammad in Manchester and move closer to Georges St-Pierre’s title defense record.

Continue Reading UFC Full Fight: Relive Leon Edwards’ Trilogy Fight With Kamaru Usman Ahead Of UFC 304 Title Defense at MMA News.

MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Tom Aspinall Comes Clean On Fake Pre-Fight Routine, Aljamain Sterling Wins Karate Combat Debut In The Final Seconds, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 26, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Aspinall finally puts the petrol rumors to rest
  • Sterling got his hand raised after clutching the match in the final seconds
  • Holloway gives massive praise to UFC 304 fighter

Tom Aspinall Finally Admits That Strange Pre-Fight Preparations Was A Joke

Ahead of his interim heavyweight title defense at UFC 304, Tom Aspinall revealed a unique pre-fight process that he was putting himself through in preparation.

The Brit told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that he was following the methods of classic bare knuckle boxers by shadow boxing around haybales and dipping his hands in petrol each night.

Some instantly called it out that Aspinall was in fact trying to trick Helwani but after he didn’t crack a smile at any point, others thought the champion might be telling the truth.

A video posted on fight week shows one half of this weekend’s co-main event calling Helwani in the middle of the night to provide evidence of his preparations.

After leading him on for a bit longer, Aspinall confessed that it was all a joke and that he’s having to tell the truth after people thought he was being serious about it.

Aljamain Sterling Pulls Off A Clutch Win In Karate Combat Grappling Debut

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling made his Karate Combat debut on July 25, where he got his hand raised in the final seconds of the contest.

Competing in the Pit Submission Series, he secured the win over Jay Jay Wilson at Karate Combat 48 in Nashville.

The contest was nearly about to end in a points draw but with the clock ticking down to the final seconds, Sterling was able to pass guard and take his opponent’s back to score the winning point in the dying moments.

After the match, a fired-up Sterling said that his full focus is now on handing Movsar Evloev his first loss in a crucial featherweight match-up at UFC 307 in October.

Also of note for this grappling match is that Sterling weighed in at a staggering 171-pounds.

Sterling even received praise from his former opponent and the current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley who phoned in during the match.

Max Holloway Praises The Fight IQ Of UFC 304 Fighter: ‘Super High, Super Smart’

Max Holloway believes that the main event of UFC 304 will be a battle between two tacticians that rarely stray from their gameplans.

Both the welterweight champion Leon Edwards and his challenger Belal Muhammad aren’t known for going out there and being involved in wars.

With a fight like this, it will come down to which man is able to implement their approach the best and with that in mind, Holloway is backing the champ to retain in Manchester.

He broke down the card during a recent YouTube video where “Blessed” spoke extremely high of Edwards’s ability to read and control a fight.

“Belal is a tactician. he’s a gameplanner. He does not stray away from his gameplan,” Holloway said. “But so does Leon, bro. Leon is a tactician. He’s a gameplanner. He sticks to his gameplan no matter what. … A lot of people were counting Leon out (ahead of the Covington fight) like he was gonna get grappled.

“Leon is one of the very few IQs in this game that I respect, man,” Holloway continued. “His fight IQ is super high, super smart. It’s just hard to go against the champ here, bro. I think Belal puts on a fight. Early in the fight, I think it’s a tough fight. But then when we get to the third and then the championship rounds, I think Leon is gonna take over.”

Read more on the story here.

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