Tag: UFC 304

Molly McCann Reveals ‘Dream’ Finish For Second Strawweight Fight At UFC 304

Molly McCann has a specific move in mind for her second UFC fight since dropping down to strawweight this weekend. A year on from her submission defeat at the hands of Julija Stoliarenko in London, McCann will have her latest fight on home soil. She’s set to make the walk on the preliminary card of […]

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Molly McCann has a specific move in mind for her second UFC fight since dropping down to strawweight this weekend.

A year on from her submission defeat at the hands of Julija Stoliarenko in London, McCann will have her latest fight on home soil. She’s set to make the walk on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view in Manchester, England.

“Meatball” will share the cage with Bruna Brasil in a bout that marks her second since committing to a major career change, departing the flyweight division and dropping to 115 pounds.

Having made the weight this past February, McCann announced her arrival in style at the Apex by showing new wrinkles to her game en route to a gruesome armbar submission of Diana Belbi??.

And having long had her ground game questioned, the Liverpool native is looking for a similar feat on July 27…

McCann Targeting Rear-Naked Choke Finish At UFC 304

During a fight week interview for UFC.com, McCann looked ahead to her upcoming home fight, as she looks to repeat the memorable performances she delivered in England’s capital two years ago.

In 2022, “Meatball” utilized spinning back elbows to knock out Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy. On Saturday, she’s looking to give her compatriots a dose of her ever-growing submission prowess.

“I’m experienced now. I don’t waste too much energy. … When I make the walk, just stay focused,” McCann said. “The last fight was just about making the weight for the first time. This time, we’ve managed to put a bit of size on. The weight’s the same as what it was (but) i’m a little bit leaner.

“I feel like all the fear left and it’s like I’ve started again in the UFC,” McCann continued. “As many questions as she (Brasil) asks, I answer more. How many questions I ask, I don’t let her answer. The dream would be a rear-naked choke, first round.”

McCann will look to make that “dream” a reality on fight night. In doing so, she’ll get the Next Generation MMA gym off to a winning start ahead of a crucial clash for her teammate Paddy Pimblett on the main card.

Continue Reading Molly McCann Reveals ‘Dream’ Finish For Second Strawweight Fight At UFC 304 at MMA News.

UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’

UFC 304 appears to be a personal affair for welterweight title challenger Belal Muhammad, who has had to wait a long time to get his shot. Ever since the way that his first fight ended with Leon Edwards three years ago, Muhammad has been campaigning for this rematch and slandering the character of “Rocky.” “Remember […]

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UFC 304 appears to be a personal affair for welterweight title challenger Belal Muhammad, who has had to wait a long time to get his shot.

Ever since the way that his first fight ended with Leon Edwards three years ago, Muhammad has been campaigning for this rematch and slandering the character of “Rocky.”

“Remember the Name” has continued to speak about how winning the title is one thing but beating Edwards for it in particular makes this fight even more meaningful to him.

The champion, on the other hand, believes that his opponent is coming up with this narrative and has referred to him as “deluded.”

John Gooden Believes Leon Edwards Isn’t Bothered By Belal Muhammad’s Words Pre-UFC 304

Muhammad’s trash talk at the press conference on fight week didn’t appear to bother Edwards, and UFC commentator John Gooden believes that this comes from experience.

He spoke in an interview with InsideFighting about how he doesn’t think the champion is going to be bothered by anything that his next opponent can say about him.

Having already gone through the experience of facing Colby Covington in his last outing, Edwards has been through the ringer when it comes to pre-fight comments.

“Leon, I think, used to suffer from some of that and biting back and not really finding the right sort of quips and banter to answer back. I’m going back to like, Darren Till times, because before that, it didn’t really happen. But I feel like when he walked out and then he got the boos in London, I think he was a little bit p***** off.

“But, he’s now gone through issues with Kamaru, Kamaru was still digging at home and it wasn’t egregious and really horrible and toxic like Colby was. But I think when you go through a little bit more and a little bit more, your skin gets thicker, and then you realize like, ‘What’s the use in me taking this on board?’ And I have to say, I’ve had a few interactions with Leon now and his team and I think he’s just laughing a lot of it off. Belal is really going in on Leon, really going in.”

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’ at MMA News.

Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’

UFC welterweight challenger Belal Muhammad’s bold claim regarding his division’s GOAT contention drew out plenty of reactions on social media. Muhammad is currently across the pond ahead of his first opportunity at winning gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. He’ll headline Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view in competition for Leon Edwards’ title inside the Co-op […]

Continue Reading Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’ at MMA News.

UFC welterweight challenger Belal Muhammad’s bold claim regarding his division’s GOAT contention drew out plenty of reactions on social media.

Muhammad is currently across the pond ahead of his first opportunity at winning gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. He’ll headline Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view in competition for Leon Edwards’ title inside the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

Riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak, “Remember the Name” has been firm in stating that a crowning is inevitable. He’s made claims of superiority over Edwards, whose skillset he’s frequently downplayed. He even recently placed the champ down at fourth in his welterweight rankings.

Despite that, though, Muhammad stated during a fight week interview with MMA Fighting that a victory over “Rocky” at UFC 304 will put him directly below the great Georges St-Pierre in the division’s GOAT discussion.

“That belt doesn’t belong on his shoulder, it belongs on my shoulder,” Muhammad said. “My goal isn’t just to be the champion; my goal is to be the best welterweight to ever do it. For me to go out there and beat Leon, who beat Usman twice who everybody thought was the best welterweight to do it, then I’m ahead of him and right underneath GSP.

“When you look at both of our lineups, it’s like, I beat ‘Wonderboy,’ I beat this guy, I beat that guy, then I get these next young killers,” Muhammad continued. “You give me the Shavkats, you give me the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, and (if) I walk through all of them, there’s nothing else, right? I’m just going to be cemented as the best to ever do it.”

Fans React To Muhammad’s Claim To Second In Welterweight GOAT Debate: ‘Complete Insanity’

Unsurprisingly, those remarks from a polarizing figure in Muhammad led to plenty of pushback from his detractors on social media, with many branding the top welterweight contender “delusional.”

Continue Reading Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’ at MMA News.

MMA Community’s Final Thoughts & Predictions On UFC 304: ‘Edwards Won’t Let Us Live In A World Where ‘No Name’ Muhammad Is Champion’

UFC 304 is almost upon us, and many in the mixed martial arts community have been posting some late takes on the event. The promotion hosts its latest pay-per-view card from the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, tonight, where a fiery fight week across the pond will culminate in championship stakes inside the Octagon. […]

Continue Reading MMA Community’s Final Thoughts & Predictions On UFC 304: ‘Edwards Won’t Let Us Live In A World Where ‘No Name’ Muhammad Is Champion’ at MMA News.

UFC 304 is almost upon us, and many in the mixed martial arts community have been posting some late takes on the event.

The promotion hosts its latest pay-per-view card from the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, tonight, where a fiery fight week across the pond will culminate in championship stakes inside the Octagon.

Headlining UFC 304, welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards will attempt to get the better of challenger Belal Muhammad at the second time of trying. After having his early success rendered null when an eye poke left “Remember the Name” unable to continue back in 2021, “Rocky” will look to pick up where he left off and make Muhammad the third victim of his title reign.

The co-main event, meanwhile, will see another home champ in action as Tom Aspinall puts his interim heavyweight gold on the line. Like Edwards in the headliner, Aspinall will be facing a familiar foe in the form of Curtis Blaydes. The Manchester native has redemption on his mind after a knee injury sent him to defeat opposite “Razor” after just 15 seconds two years ago.

Also on the lineup, Paddy Pimblett makes his return to the cage on home soil to compete for a spot in the lightweight rankings against King Green, Arnold Allen looks to bounce back from his first career losing skid opposite Giga Chikadze, and flyweight standouts Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape vie for a potential shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s belt.

To prepare yourself for tonight’s event, catch up on the latest betting odds here, look back on the faceoffs from Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins here, and follow along with the results and highlights here, live from 6 PM ET.

MMA Community Gives Final Thoughts On UFC 304: ‘There Is Something About English Fight Cards…’

UFC 304 will get underway shortly, meaning the buildup and time for talking is almost over.

The MMA community is sure to be locked in and engaged in hot discussion over the events that unfold in the coming hours, but throughout today, plenty have been getting in their late predictions and final thoughts on the momentous occasion. 

Continue Reading MMA Community’s Final Thoughts & Predictions On UFC 304: ‘Edwards Won’t Let Us Live In A World Where ‘No Name’ Muhammad Is Champion’ at MMA News.

Curtis Blaydes Names Lowest Moment In His Journey To The UFC Heavyweight Title: ‘That Was Like An 18-Hour Flight Home…’ 

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes’ path to a first title shot this weekend has certainly had its ups and downs. Blaydes will finally compete with gold on the line in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view, where he’s tasked with unseating Tom Aspinall in the interim heavyweight champion’s home city of Manchester, England. […]

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Names Lowest Moment In His Journey To The UFC Heavyweight Title: ‘That Was Like An 18-Hour Flight Home…’  at MMA News.

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes’ path to a first title shot this weekend has certainly had its ups and downs.

Blaydes will finally compete with gold on the line in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view, where he’s tasked with unseating Tom Aspinall in the interim heavyweight champion’s home city of Manchester, England.

The bout marks a rematch, with the pair previously colliding in London two years ago. While “Razor” had his hand raised on that occasion, the manner of victory — a knee injury to Aspinall after just 15 seconds — did little to advance his championship ambitions.

And after being subsequently passed up for a shot at the then-vacant belt against Jon Jones in March 2023, a defeat to Sergei Pavlovich threatened to derail his pursuit of title glory once again.

But Blaydes was able to bounce back from that defeat and earn his shot at the interim belt on July 27. That’s seemingly in part down to his history of bouncing back from tough moments inside the cage…

Blaydes Looks Back On Difficult Ngannou Loss, Explains Attitude Toward Setbacks

During a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Blaydes looked ahead to his long-awaited first title opportunity on MMA’s biggest stage and reflected on the moments that have led up to this point.

When asked at which point he felt the lowest regarding his title prospects, “Razor” pointed to his 45-second defeat to Francis Ngannou when they ran it back in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in China six years ago.

“Probably after my rematch with Ngannou in 2018,” Blaydes said. “He was off of a loss against Derrick Lewis. I’m off a win against Alistair (Overeem) and Mark Hunt. I felt like I was like, heading in the right direction. Go off to Beijing, fight lasts like 15 seconds. I didn’t really get to perform any of the new skills and techniques that I had been developing over the years.

“That was a long flight home. That was like an 18-hour flight home and just a lot of reflecting,” Blaydes continued. “When I lose, I’ve always viewed it as, as long as you’re able to take something from a loss, it’s not a total loss. I’ve been using that. When I have a loss, I take it, reflect, grow, and I do my best to not repeat the same mistakes.”

Having bounced back from setbacks such as those opposite Ngannou, Blaydes will look to finally complete his ascent to the heavyweight mountaintop by upsetting the odds and the Manchester crowd come fight night at UFC 304.

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Names Lowest Moment In His Journey To The UFC Heavyweight Title: ‘That Was Like An 18-Hour Flight Home…’  at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad last met three years ago but with the fights and accomplishments of both men since that point, it’s hard to take that meeting into consideration ahead of the rematch. At UFC 304 this weekend, they will meet again in the main event as Edwards looks to defend his welterweight title […]

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’ at MMA News.

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad last met three years ago but with the fights and accomplishments of both men since that point, it’s hard to take that meeting into consideration ahead of the rematch.

At UFC 304 this weekend, they will meet again in the main event as Edwards looks to defend his welterweight title for the third time.

The one aspect of their first encounter that can be used as a measuring stick is to see which man has improved the most since that point in time.

Many would point to Edwards’ recent fights against fellow top welterweights as the difference, if they were predicting “Rocky” to come out on top.

Anthony Smith Believes Leon Edwards Is Improved Fighter Heading Into Belal Muhammad Rematch

Anthony Smith believes that Edwards has improved more out of the two men because we’ve seen him have success against a higher level of opposition.

Muhammad has beaten several top contenders since his first encounter with Edwards but the Brit’s recent wins over Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington stand out.

Not only did he get his hand raised against both men, he was successful at fending off their heavy grappling approaches, which Muhammad is sure to use as his game plan in Manchester.

Smith spoke during an event preview for ESPN MMA about how he gives the champion the edge because of what we’ve seen him do against two of the best wrestlers to ever grace the 170-pound division.

“I would believe it’s probably Leon. I think that he’s been in harder fights versus better guys, that’s no disrespect to the guys that Belal has beaten but they’re not at the level of a Kamaru Usman. I think the Colby fight was a big deal for Leon, not because of the way that he won or what he was trying to prove, I think that style is impossible for people to deal with including Kamaru Usman, who a lot of people think is the welterweight greatest of all time.

“I think the way that he made Colby look where he was so uncomfortable on his feet he couldn’t even shoot, we’ve never even heard of that. He didn’t even have to defend takedowns because he was so good on his feet that Colby didn’t want to shoot. I thought that was a big deal.”

Read also: UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Feels Leon Edwards More Improved Than Belal Muhammad Ahead Of Rematch: ‘He Was So Good On His Feet That Colby Didn’t Even Want To Shoot’ at MMA News.