Not only does this weekend’s UFC 304 boast two compelling title fights at the top of the card, each featuring an English champion fighting in England, but both championship tilts are rematches years in the making.
The last time Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad shared the cage, and same goes for Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes, it was in a Fight Night main event that ended with an ambiguous result.
It has been more than three years since Edwards and Muhammad fought to a no-contest and two years since a fluke injury halted Aspinall vs. Blaydes after mere seconds. The four headline fighters at UFC 304 have a combined record of 12-1 since those initial meetings and have all worked themselves up to a championship level.
To get you set for Saturday’s championship fights, here is a chronological reminder of how the first meetings unfolded and a timeline of what each athlete has accomplished in the lead-up to their respective rematches this Saturday at the Co-op Live in Manchester.
LEON EDWARDS VS. BELAL MUHAMMAD
March 13, 2021: Edwards vs. Muhammad 1
This main event at the UFC Apex was the third headline spot for Edwards, who at that point in his career was more known for being sucker-punched by Jorge Masvidal backstage at a UFC event than for being a rising title contender. Edwards was also coming off a roughly 20-month layoff. It was the first main event for Muhammad, who had won four in a row and eight of nine heading into the bout. Edwards looked solid in the opening round and won it on all three judges’ scorecards, however 18 seconds into the second round the fight was stopped and ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke from Edwards that rendered Muhammad writhing in pain and unable to continue.
June 12, 2021: Edwards survives late scare from Diaz and Muhammad beats Maia at UFC 263
Edwards emerged from the no-contest with Muhammad without a scratch despite the unsatisfying result and three months later faced Nate Diaz in a special five-round co-main event at UFC 263 – a matchup briefly scheduled for UFC 262 before being moved. Edwards had outclassed Diaz for the first 24 minutes of the fight before the underdog landed a left hand that rocked Edwards and had him on unsteady legs. Diaz was unable to capitalize and finish his opponent, so even though Diaz had the biggest and most memorable moment of the fight, the judges correctly awarded Edwards the unanimous decision.
Muhammad avoided a serious eye injury against Edwards and was also able to return at UFC 263, defeating Demian Maia via unanimous decision in the bout immediately preceding Edwards vs. Diaz on that main card.
Dec. 11, 2021: Edwards bout with Masvidal scrapped
A grudge match between Edwards and Masvidal was scheduled for UFC 269 in the wake of their incident 2.5 years prior, but Masvidal withdrew from the event with an injury and the matchup never materialized. Things worked out just fine for Edwards in the end, though.
Dec. 18, 2021: Muhammad beats Wonderboy
Muhammad followed up his win over Maia with a dominant victory over another two-time UFC title challenger, Stephen Thompson. Two judges scored the bout 30-26 and the other 30-25 to illustrate just how one-sided the fight was.
April 16, 2022: Loss to Luque avenged by Muhammad
Muhammad improved to 3-0 since the eye poke when he won a 15-minute UD over Vicente Luque, who is to date the only person to finish Muhammad in his 27-fight pro career when he KO’d him at UFC 205 in 2016.
Aug. 20, 2022: “But that is not the cloth from which he is cut…”
UFC 278 was headlined by Kamaru Usman defending his welterweight title against Edwards in a rematch of a three-round bout Usman had won more than six years prior. Just like in the Diaz fight four months earlier, this one is remembered for the literal last-minute dramatics.
Edwards was losing this fight three rounds to one on all scorecards and needed a finish in the final round to defeat the champion. Edwards landed a perfect head kick in the final minute of the final round to stun Usman, win the title, avenge a previous loss while simultaneously shaking up the 170-pound division.
Oct. 22, 2022: Muhammad finishes Brady
Eleven of Muhammad’s 14 UFC wins have gone the distance and there’s a strong argument to be made the best performance during his current unbeaten streak was his second-round technical knockout of Sean Brady at UFC 280. Brady was 15-0 and the betting favourite heading into that matchup and Muhammad silenced the doubters with an excellent performance and finish.
March 18, 2023: Edwards defends title at UFC 286, cements status as top WW
Usman was 15-0 in the UFC prior to being knocked out by Edwards, so the immediate rematch was warranted and the trilogy bout at UFC 286 proved the result at UFC 278 was not a fluke and that Edwards had become the man to beat at 170 pounds. The current champ won a majority decision over Usman to defend the title and he did so in front of the British fans at The O2 Arena in London.
May 6, 2023: Muhammad’s locks up ‘next in line’ spot with win
Turns out taking a five-round matchup on short notice against a cardio machine like Muhammad less than a month after you just fought is a mistake, and Gilbert Burns learned that lesson the hard way at UFC 288. Muhammad dominated his opponent to win his second five-round decision in his past three appearances. Extending his unbeaten streak to 10 was enough for the UFC to finally award him his first title shot. He turned 36 earlier this month and has not competed since beating Burns.
Dec. 16, 2023: Edwards ends Covington’s title aspirations
Colby Covington was given a title fight with Edwards despite the fact he hadn’t won consecutive fights since 2019. The UFC chose to market an Edwards-Covington matchup to headline UFC 296 instead of awarding Muhammad the title shot. All three judges gave the first four rounds to Edwards, and Covington won the final round by controlling the action on the ground. It was a boring, forgettable championship main event and certainly the final time Covington fights for a UFC title.
May 16, 2024: Make it official
The matchup had been expected for months but Dana White didn’t make an official announcement that Edwards vs. Muhammad would headline UFC 304 until mid-May.
TOM ASPINALL VS. CURTIS BLAYDES
Not as much has transpired with the heavyweights in the two years since they first met, but Aspinall’s star power has increased tenfold, and both men have had to overcome adversity ahead of the anticipated co-main event.
July 23, 2022: Aspinall vs. Blaydes 1
The upstart Brit blew out his knee while throwing a kick in the opening 15 seconds of the main event in London and the action ended anticlimactically. Aspinall, who had won eight in a row prior to that, sustained a torn MCL and torn meniscus and did some damage to his ACL.
Jan. 14, 2023: Ngannou stripped of title, UFC announces Jones return
Then-heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is officially stripped of the heavyweight title after the UFC could not come to terms on a new contract. The UFC simultaneously announced a vacant title bout between former longtime light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane, against whom Ngannou had defended the belt at UFC 265. Although Aspinall nor Blaydes were directly impacted by this, the news opened the entire division to new possibilities.
March 4, 2023: Jones wins HW belt
Jon Jones embarrassed Gane with a two-minute submission win to become the UFC’s heavyweight champion in the main event of UFC 265. Jones is now the target for contenders like Aspinall and Blaydes.
April 22, 2023: Blaydes gets stopped by Pavlovich
Blaydes found out exactly how hard Sergei Pavlovich hits when he was finished with punches three minutes into a Fight Night main event at the Apex. It was the fourth knockout loss of Blaydes’s UFC and MMA career (twice to Ngannou, once each to Derrick Lewis and Pavlovich).
July 22, 2023: Aspinall looks great in return
Aspinall returned to competition almost exactly one year to the day after losing to Blaydes and looked like he hadn’t missed a single day in the gym. He made quick work of Marcin Tybura and showed zero ill effects from his knee surgery.
Oct. 25, 2023: Interim title announced with Jones injured
The UFC announced Jones tore a pectoral tendon while training and cancelled his scheduled UFC 295 title defence against former champion Stipe Miocic. The UFC announced an interim title matchup between Aspinall and Pavlovich would take place at UFC 295 instead.
Nov. 4, 2023: Blaydes pulls out of main event
Blaydes was tasked with handing Jailton Almeida his first UFC loss when the pair were slated to headline a Fight Night in Almeida’s native Brazil. Blaydes withdrew from the event due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Derrick Lewis who was dominated by Almeida over five rounds.
Nov. 11, 2023: Aspinall wins interim title at UFC 295
Aspinall shone under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and won the interim title with a highlight-reel first-round knockout of Pavlovich. The fight only lasted 69 seconds. Aspinall has not fought since this night as the UFC and Jones are insisting on rebooking that matchup with Miocic as opposed to booking a title unification bout versus Aspinall.
March 9, 2024: Blaydes gets back in the win column
The pairing with Almeida was rebooked and snapping Almeida’s 15-fight winning streak with a second-round knockout reminded the rest of the heavyweight division why Blaydes is still a factor in the title picture and that he packs quite the wallop if you aren’t careful during your takedown attempts. The TKO win earned Blaydes a performance of the night bonus plus the interim title shot.