Israel Adesanya gives his picks for the three bouts atop the UFC 304 fight card
UFC 304 takes place on Saturday in Manchester, England and the fight card is topped by three British fighters. In the main event, Birmingham's Leon Edwards puts his welterweight title on the line against second-ranked Belal Muhammad in a rematch.
The two first fought in March 2021, but the bout ended in a No Contest after an accidental eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue. On Saturday, they'll finish what they started at Co-op Live.
In the co-main event, Salford's Tom Aspinall defends his interim heavyweight championship belt against fourth-ranked Curtis Blaydes also in a rematch. Their first meeting in July 2022 ended in just 15 seconds. Aspinall suffered a knee injury the ended the fight. He'll look to erase that loss on Saturday.
UFC 304 also features a lightweight match between Liverpool's Paddy Pimblett and King Green, formerly known as Bobby Green. Green is ranked 15th in the division and is a step up in competition for Pimblett, but a win will put "The Baddy" in the rankings.
Former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya gave his predictions for the three fights at the top of the UFC 304 fight card and believes one of the Englishmen will suffer a loss. "The Last Stylebender" predicted that all three fights will end in finishes.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 Prediction
"Belal's got pressure. It just seems like he's able to get to people and put his will on them," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. "I'll tell you one thing, this is different. Leon just seems like he's a f***ing massacre right now. He's on a run."
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"Leon might finish him. I think Leon finishes this fight," Adesanya continued. "This seems like a bad match for Belal. I'm not hating on Belal or anything... It's Leon's fight to win. It's Leon's fight to lose because even when they were fighting the first time, before the eye poke, Leon was touching him up. Leon by knockout in the third round, second, or third round."
Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2 Prediction
"It's actually really cool how co-main and main event, both of them have fought before and both of them ended in like controversy. Now both English guys are champions. Crazy," said Adesanya. "I think Tom is on a different level at the moment."
"If Tom's going to fight him, he has to fight him at the end of his range. Tom can blitz, man. Tom can blitz, and I think he is faster than Blaydes," Adesanya continued. "I'm going to go Tom in this fight. I think Tom is just a weapon right now... I'm going to go Tom by finish in this fight. But look, if Tom's not careful, Blaydes can catch him."
King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett Prediction
"Paddy, this is a big step up for him against a veteran," Adesanya said. "For Paddy to get this done, because I'm thinking Bobby is going to finish him, but for Paddy to get this done, get close to him and grapple, get on his back because that's how you can get him."
"But I'm going to go Bobby in this fight. I just think it's too much sauce," Adesanya added. "I just think it's going to be a finish for Bobby in this one. Just too much, and eventually he's going to cave Paddy. Paddy's just going to wilt."
Adesanya will have the opportunity to become a three-time UFC middleweight champion when the takes on titleholder Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 305 main event on Aug. 17 in Perth, Australia.
