Matches To Make After UFC 304

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UFC 304 went down last night (Sat., July 27, 2024) inside Co-op Live in Manchester, England. In the championship main event, Belal Muhammad dominated Leon Edwards for five rounds to become UFC’s new Welterweight champion (recap here). In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall defended his interim Heavyweight strap by slicing through and knocking out Curtis Blaydes in just 60 seconds (video highlights here).

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Winner: Belal Muhammad
Who He Should Face Next: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Edwards will not be getting a rematch anytime soon, and the landscape at 170 pounds is changing right before our eyes. Now that Muhammad has fulfilled his prophecy of becoming champion, his first title defense will not be an easy one to say the least. That’s because it will likely come against Rakhmonov (No. 3), who is undefeated at 18-0, which includes winning his first six fights inside the Octagon. By the way, all of his wins under the UFC banner have come via stoppage, so he is more than deserving of the nod.

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Winner: Tom Aspinall
Who He Should Face Next: Jones vs. Miocic winner

Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are finally expected to throw down later this year, and no one is happier than Tom Aspinall. That’s because after obliterating Blaydes in just a minute, he will get his much-desired title unification bout. Aspinall has proven to be perhaps the most dangerous fighter at 265 pounds at the moment thanks to his devastating power and lightning speed, which is enough to make anyone a bit nervous, even “Bones” himself.

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Winner: Paddy Pimblett
Who He Should Face Next: Renato Moicano

After disposing of King Green in the very first round in rather impressive fashion (see it here), Pimblett called for a fight against Moicano. And since Dana White and Co. are happy to please fighters they see as future faces of the promotion, it’s a fight he could very well get. Moicano is currently ranked No. 10, and Pimblett will get his much-desired ranking spot next week. Moicano is on a three-fight win streak and has won five of six overall, and if “Money” wants to up his spotlight, a fight — and a win — over “The Baddy” would be huge for him.

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Winner: Gregory Rodrigues
Who He Should Face Next: Chris Curtis

Paddy Pimblett may not be the only man who earned himself a ranking spot after UFC 304, as Rodrigues locked down his third straight win — fifth of sixth overall — in his first-ever main card spot on a major pay-per-view (PPV) card by defeating Christian Leroy Duncan. In case he doesn’t get to crash the Top 15, perhaps defeating the No. 15 guy would get him there. I normally don’t like pitting a streaking fighter against someone coming off a loss, but Curtis is holding the final spot in the rankings, and would be the first ranked fighter Rodrigues faces. A win for “RoboCop” and he is in.

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Winner: Arnold Allen
Who He Should Face Next: Yair Rodriguez

Allen picked up a much-needed win by defeating Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision, snapping his two-fight losing streak. Now, the No. 6 ranked fighter in the division is out to begin another run like the one he enjoyed from 2014 to 2022 in which he won 10 straight fights. As far as what’s next for him, a fight against Yair Rodriguez seems appropriate. “El Pantera” is currently on a two-fight losing streak and is holding down the No. 4 spot. I don’t expect Allen to move into the Top 5 following his latest win, but this fight makes sense given their respective standings at 145 pounds, and their body of work over their last three fights. Book it.

For complete UFC 304: “Edwards vs. Muhammad” results and play-by-play, click HERE.