UFC is set to make a return to the United Kindom with a PPV event in Manchester. England’s own Tom Aspinall revealed a week ago that he would be fighting at UFC’s next event in his home country but the type of the event and dates were not known. Recently, UFC uploaded a poster on X announcing the PPV event UFC 304 which would take place in Manchester on July 27, 2024. However, the post was deleted soon after.
It is believed that the UFC accidentally leaked the poster but it was seen by several accounts before it was deleted. Many MMA X accounts have already re-uploaded the poster even though it has been deleted from UFC’s official account.
UFC 304 is officially going down in Manchester, England! 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/XMLXiHcutP
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) April 23, 2024
Not so long ago UFC CEO Dana White had also confirmed an upcoming PPV event in Manchester. He said, according to TalkSPORT, “We’re going to England, we’re coming! I’ve got great fights lined up for the UK fans, and I’m excited to get back there… Literally in days [we’ll make an announcement], we’re right there working on this stuff… We’ve got some badass plans for England: numbered card, pay-per-view, a great one.”
The Las Vegas-based promotion possesses many fighters who hail from England. A lot of these fighters will be expected to take to the Octagon and display their skills. At least two English champions have all but confirmed their presence at UFC 304.
Ciryl Gane reportedly rejected an offer to fight Tom Aspinall in Manchester at UFC 304
A week ago, Tom Aspinall took to his social media channels and uploaded a video where he confirmed he would be fighting at the next UFC Manchester event. He said, “I had a meeting with the UFC. It has now been confirmed that I am fighting on UFC Manchester so I’m back home preparing for that now.”
The interim UFC heavyweight champion had called out Jon Jones and the pair had a heated back-and-forth on social media. However, nothing came out of it. Jones is still expected to fight Stipe Miocic after making a return from injury.
Does anybody know which movie Cyril is filming? https://t.co/g6KuZoBhhT
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) April 23, 2024
Aspinall, who defeated Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 to win the interim title, was reportedly gearing up to fight Ciryl Gane. The French fighter, however, has reportedly turned down the offer. Reports suggest that he is filming a movie in July and will not be available to fight. These are still unconfirmed reports but even Aspinall reacted to it asking which movie Gane is filming.
A dream match-up could be Alex Pereira vs. Aspinall. The Brazilian did not deny the possibility of facing the interim heavyweight champion at UFC Manchester when he was asked about it recently. However, that fight is far from confirmed.
Tom Aspinall posted this picture on his Instagram after Alex Pereira expressed his interest in fighting at heavyweight.
Could we see Aspinall 🆚 Pereira? 👀 #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/vgkKbDhW9k
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 15, 2024
There are still three months until UFC 304. Aspinall and the UFC have more than enough time to find a competitor. However, the other English champ might not have any issues looking for a competitor.
Leon Edwards is highly likely to defend his title against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304
UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards is also set to turn up at UFC Manchester. If his title defense is confirmed it is likely he would main event the fight card. Edwards’ coach Dave Lovell claimed that Edwards would be fighting on the card “no doubt”. Moreover, Lovell claimed that there is a 99.9% chance that the title defense is against Belal Muhammad.
🚨 Leon Edwards’ head coach, Dave Lovell, says that Leon Edwards will ‘no doubt’ fight in July in Manchester, and says he is ‘99.9%’ sure that the opponent will be Belal Muhammad
🎥 @talkSPORT #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/gLUToUsDzC
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 23, 2024
Edwards last fought at UFC 296 and successfully defended his title against Colby Covington. There were reports that he was offered several fights for UFC 300 and he accepted them all but none of his opponents were ready. On the other hand, Muhammad is on a nine-match win streak in the UFC. He last defeated Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.
Another English fighter who could take to the Octagon at UFC 304 is Michael ‘Venom’ Page. MVP made his UFC debut at UFC 299 and defeated Kevin Holland. The Englishman impressed everyone with his debut and not having him on the UFC England card would be a crime.
Liverpool-born Paddy Pimblett could also be a name in the mix. He has not faced a defeat in his five UFC fights and it seems like now is the time he faces a ranked lightweight competitor. Flyweight fighter Muhammad Mokaev, who is undefeated in pro-MMA could also be in the mix. Although he was born in Dagestan, he has been a UK citizen since 2021. There is no doubt that the UFC 304 fight card is going to be stacked.