The Ultimate Fighting Championship still has UFC 302 and UFC 303 to get through before it starts to push UFC 304 aggressively. However, some buzz is already building up about UFC 304 and what it could bring to the table. It is scheduled to take place on July 27, and it’ll be the first MMA event held at the newly-opened Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Coincidentally, the last time Manchester hosted a UFC event was back in October 2016 when UFC 204 was held at Manchester Arena.
So, what can MMA fans expect from UFC 304? Maybe several top UFC fighters. Two championship fights appear to be on the lineup for this event. Current UFC Welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad may battle in one of UFC 304’s main events, while interim UFC Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes may go toe-to-toe in the other matchup of UFC 304 fighters. The Aspinall vs. Blaydes fight would be a rematch of their UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall match that occurred in July 2022, which Blaydes won after Aspinall sustained a knee injury. The best online betting sites will list their favorites for UFC 304 soon, and MMA fans can start to get in on the action for these fights.
In the meantime, tickets for UFC 304 will go on sale shortly. UFC has already announced that UFC Fight Club members can begin purchasing tickets on June 5, while the rest of the public can begin buying them on June 7.
The UFC isn’t sharing too many other details about UFC 304 right now. However, UFC President Dana White did hint at how the organization plans to pull out all the stops once it’s time to start gearing up for the event. “I’m so excited to get back to Manchester,” he said recently. “And no better time than this summer. We have two champions from the UK, and fans have been dying for a UFC PPV event. So here we come to the largest indoor arena in the UK. See you soon, England.”
Can’t make it to Manchester to see UFC 304 in person? No problem, as fight fans in both the U.S. and the U.K. will be able to catch all the action on TV. The UFC is planning to stream UFC 304 live in the U.S. on ESPN+ PPV. It’s also planning to broadcast UFC 304 in the UK on TNT Sports.
Just in case all this wasn’t exciting enough, it seems one of the best UFC fighters of all time is keeping a close eye on what takes place at UFC 304. Aspinall took a shot at Jon Jones recently and accused him of “holding s*** up” in the UFC’s heavyweight division by not bouncing back quickly enough from the torn pectoral muscle he suffered while training for a UFC 295 fight against Stipe Miocic in November 2023. It led to Jones taking aim at Aspinall and hinting at a potential return to the Octagon later this year.
“Trolls telling me I’m slowing down the division by getting injured,” Jones wrote on X. “Meanwhile, the next two heavyweights aren’t even a main event? Interesting. I’m on the right path, I got until November to remind the world. Again.”
Hmmm…we won’t read too far into that comment just yet. But if you needed another reason to anticipate the matchups between the UFC fighters in UFC 304, Jon Jones may have just given it to you.