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Heavyweight Tom Aspinall will be defending his interim title in the UFC 304 co-main event on July 27 in Manchester, England in a rematch against fourth-ranked Curtis Blaydes.  But, Blaydes wasn’t the first choice.  

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Aspinall revealed that former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane was offered the UFC 304 title fight but turned it down.  

“The UFC wanted me to fight Ciryl Gane, I said, ‘Okay, the UFC wants to do it, we can do it.’ I’m not bothered.  I feel like I’m the champion of the world.  I’m ranked No. 1 in the world.  I’ll fight anybody.  You don’t have to talk me into anything. The UFC are my bosses, they want me to fight Ciryl Gane, count me in.  That’s okay, we’ll do it,” Aspinall said

“Ciryl, on the other hand, he’s out there doing a film.  Ciryl is trying to be the French Arnold Schwarzenegger right now, and fair play to him.  If he wants to do films and be an actor, go and enjoy yourself Ciryl.  Go and do your thing, make some money, do whatever you doing. But, he didn’t take the fight.  He wanted to do his film, so Curtis Blaydes, they’ve thrown him in, very happy with it.  I’m happy to fight anybody.”

UFC 304 takes place at Co-op Live in Apinall’s hometown of Manchester.  It will be the fight promotion’s fifth visit to Manchester and the first since UFC 204 in October 2016.  

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Many are looking forward to UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere, and Dana White has ensured fans that it will be the best live combat sports event of all time.

The UFC continues to break boundaries by venturing into new markets and setting records whilst doing so. The company has big plans to debut in Africa, Spain, and have hopes of showcasing the UFC at a football stadium, but at this point, all eyes are firmly on September 14 at the Sphere.

While discussing the significance of UFC 306, Dana White insisted that he and his team are going to pull something off that will never be done again.

“I’m telling you guys right now, we literally just went through the storyboard two days ago on this thing,” White said whilst attending the UFC St. Louis post-fight press conference. “This is going to be the sickest live event in combat sports that anybody has ever seen.”

“It will never be done again. This will be a one-and-done just because I wanted to do it.”

Dana White later addressed the doubters and revealed that a lot of money has been pumped into making the event the very best it can be.

“Everybody, when I said I wanted to do this, said, ‘How? How are you going to do a fight in there? It’s too hard, it’s too this, it’s too that.’ That’s the kind of stuff I love.”

Related: Conor McGregor’s UFC 303 return breaks record, becomes highest gate in company history

“We’ve already spent a sh*tload of money on this thing. No one will ever be able to pull this off again because nobody would spend the money to do it. Nobody is going to spend the money to do what I’m doing over there right now.”

The UFC’s historic event at the Las Vegas Sphere will take place on September 14. Though nothing has been made official, several notable fighters have been pushing to book a fight on the card.

Check out what Dana White had to say about the Las Vegas Sphere event below.

UFC St. Louis Post-Fight Press Conferencehttps://t.co/FtMizAtVrN

— MMAWeekly (@MMAWeeklycom) May 12, 2024

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Welterweight champion Leon Edwards will put his title on the line against second-ranked Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England on July 27.  UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement on Thursday.  

“UFC 304 from the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, the main event, Leon Edwards facing Belal Muhammad,” White said in a video posted to social media.  “Leon is on a 13-fight unbeaten streak facing Belal Muhammad who is on a 10-fight unbeaten streak.”

Muhammad (23-3, 1 NC) defeated Gilbert Burns in his last fight at UFC 288 in May 2023.  The first time Muhammad and Edwards faced off at UFC Fight Night 187 in March 2021, the fight ended in a no contest after Muhammad was accidentally poked in the eye and unable to continue.  

Edwards (22-3, 1 NC) successfully defended his title for the second time in his last outing at UFC 297 last December, defeating Colby Covington via unanimous decision. 

“There you have it ladies and gentlemen.  We are coming back to Manchester, England.  And let me tell you what, if you have never been to a fight in Manchester, England, the crowd is incredible,” White said.  “Band new arena.  See you soon.  If you don’t know, now you know.”  

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Following his UFC 300 win over Jim Miller, lightweight Bobby Green called out Paddy Pimblett, and UFC matchmakers put the fight together for UFC 304 in Manchester, England.  

“Paddy, how dare you.  You slimy, sugary little snake.  How dare you say my name,” Green said in his UFC 300 post-fight interview.  “I’m coming after you.  July, I’m coming to your backyard with your people, and kick your a**.”

UFC CEO Dana White announced the lightweight fight on Thursday via a video posted to social media.  “Also on the (UFC 304) fight card, Bobby Green versus Paddy Pimblett.  A fight they were both asking for, so we gave it to them,” White said.

After Green called out Pimblett, “The Baddy” responded saying Green needed him because of his popularity.  

“Everybody wants a slice of the Baddy. Bobby Green screamed my name on the mic after it. Didn’t surprise me,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “He might be ranked but he’s got no followers and he needs me. Just like everyone else, they want to fight me because they know I’m the boy. Bobby Green’s an option. If Bobby Green wants to fight, I’m there.”

Green (32–15–1, 1 NC) has won three of his last four fights and is ranked 15th in the lightweight division.  Pimblett (21-3) will enter the bout on a seven-fight winning streak.  He’s coming off a one-sided unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson in his last outing.  

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Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will get a chance to avenge his last loss when he faces Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event on July 27 in Manchester, England.  UFC CEO and President Dana White announced the match on Thursday in a video posted to social media.  

“The (UFC 304) co-main event will be interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, he will be facing Curtis Blaydes,” White said in the video announcement.  “This is a rematch from two years ago where Aspinall suffered an unfortunate knee injury.  Aspinall has 14 wins, all by finish, and all but one is in the very first round.  He faces Curtis Blaydes who recently stopped the surging Jailton Almeida at UFC 299.”

Aspinall (14-3) won the interim title by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last November.  With champion Jon Jones expected to return from injury and take on former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic later this year, Aspinall isn’t waiting on the champion.  

Blaydes (18-4, 1 NC) is coming off a ‘Performance of the Night’ win over Almeida.  When Blaydes and Aspinall first met in the UFC Fight Night 208 main event, the fight barely got started before Aspinall fell to the canvas holding his knee.  Blaydes picked up the TKO win but the first fight only lasted 15 seconds.  If ever there was a fight that needed to be run back, it’s this one.    

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When former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier entered the octagon against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in March, he was coming off a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in his previous fight.  It could have gone one of two ways: Poirier could have lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career, or he could’ve dispatched the rising star.  

Saint-Denis had the opportunity to become a contender and jump in the rankings.  He entered the match riding a five-fight winning streak looking to pick up the biggest win of his career.  He was also the betting favorite.    

Saint-Denis took the fight to Poirier in the early going but ultimately “The Diamond” finished the fight in the second round.  Rewatch the win that earned Poirier a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.  

Dustin Poirier vs. Sant-Denis Fight Video

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Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till teased an announcement on Tuesday and that announcement came on Wednesday morning.  Till will make his professional boxing debut on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson undercard on Netflix at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  

Till (0-0 in boxing, 18-5-1 MMA) will take on former WBC middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (53-6-1) on July 20.  

“I’m very happy to be a part of this event. Paul vs. Tyson is going to be one of the biggest events of our generation, and to make my professional boxing debut on it is brilliant, Till said in a press release. “I’m very happy with my opponent. I’ve been a fan of his father for many years and I’ve been a fan of Chavez Jr. too – he is a great fighter who I respect, but make no mistake about it, I am coming to knock him out in the first round. I am happy with where I am in life, and I am coming to make a statement on Saturday, July 20th in Texas.”  

Till was released by the UFC in February 2023 after requesting to be let go to pursue other opportunities.  He had lost five of his last six fights inside the octagon.  He last fought in December 2022, losing to currently middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis via submission. 

Chavez Jr. last fought in December 2021, picking up a unanimous decision win over David Zegarra.  He was defeated by former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva via split decision in his previous outing in January 2021.  

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Top UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili was involved in a scary five-car accident while taking an Uber in New York on Tuesday.  Luckily, no one was injured.  

A video of the aftermath was posted to social media showing Dvalishvili exiting a badly damaged car.  The airbags deployed inside the vehicle and debris littered the street.  

“I am in New York for one day, a couple of hours, and I got into a huge accident,” Dvalishvili said in the video.  “I was in an Uber and our car got hit by some other cars.  Look at the damage.  I was sitting here.  I got hit and I’m okay.”  

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Dvalishvili (17-4) is coming off a one-sided decision win over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February.  His last three wins have been over former champions and he’s expected to fight bantamweight titleholder Sean O’Malley for the 135-pound championship later this year.

Dvalishvili is riding a ten-fight winning streak and is tied for former champion and teammate Aljamain Sterling for the most consecutive wins in UFC Bantamweight history.  Dvalishvili also holds the record for the most takedowns in bantamweight history as well as the most total strikes landed.    

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Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev won the UFC 155-pound title at UFC 280 in October 2022 by submitting Charles Oliveira.  13,400 spectators filled Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi to see Makhachev become a champion.  

Makhachev puts his title on the line for the third time on June 1 in the UFC 302 main event against Dustin Poirier.

Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira Fight Video

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Fight week for the Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk boxing match kicked off on Monday with John Fury head butting a member of Usyk’s team.  The incident caused a cut on the older Fury’s forehead.  

Former UFC middleweight champion and commentator Michael Bisping reacted to the incident and criticized Fury’s father for trying to steal the spotlight every chance he gets.  

“It’s the beginning of fight week between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, the Gypsy King, the first undisputed title fight to go down in 25 years,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.  “This is a monumental boxing event, and I can not wait for it. Any boxing fans, any purists, any casuals, anyone that loves combat sports is looking forward to this fight.”

“You’ve probably seen it by now.  At the fighter hotel, it looked like it was the hotel, Team Fury and Team Usyk, they come head to head.  They’re talking.  They’re chanting.  All their entourages and cornermen and people like that, their trainers and their fans were having a bit of a shouting match.  They’re having a bit of a cheering match,” Bisping continued.  “That’s all well and good.  You’re allowed to be passionate.  You’re allowed to be a strong supporter, and you can have a bit of fun and games with it.  Sometimes it goes a bit too far, but there’s no need to start assaulting people.  That’s essentially what John Fury did.”  

John Fury regularly inserts himself into the storyline when his son fights.  Bisping believes that he seeks to steal the spotlight.  

“It’s just a bit of an embarrassment,” Bisping said.  “When you start head butting people and assaulting people, there’s no place for that.  And this isn’t even the fighters.  It’s not even Tyson Fury and Usyk that’s doing this.  If it was them doing that, that would hype the fight, and this fight doesn’t need hyping.  It doesn’t need the extra bulls*t that goes along with it because this sells itself.  It’s the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years.  The last time we saw that was Lennox Lewis versus Evander Holyfield.  This is a monumental, historic fight that doesn’t need any bullish*t.

“John Fury, I don’t want to say this but it’s kind of true, he’s going to try to steal the limelight.  He’s going to insert himself into it at all times.  Every time Tyson fights, John Fury is there.  When [Francis] Ngannou and Fury were squaring off, he’s there.  He’s got his shirt off.  He’s involved.  ‘No man alive’ and all this type of sh*t.  Jesus Christ, take a backseat and let your son have the spotlight.”

“There’s a line, man, and you don’t really cross it like that.  This is a huge moment for Tyson Fury.  If he can go out there and beat Usyk, be the first person to do so, the first person to unify the belts in 25 years.  Don’t tarnish that by acting like a dickhead all fight week.  I mean, it’s the first day of fight week and he’s already head butting people.”   

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