UFC 304 in Manchester, England saw one title change hand and another stay put in an uneven card that ran into the early hours of the morning local time. A lack of finishes might be blamed on the fact that the card ran so late to appease North American PPV buys, but on the other hand, many of the finishes that did come came on the main card.
All that aside, there were some big winners on the night, especially in the case of Belal Muhammad and Tom Aspinall. We’ll take a look at what comes next for the title winners and other key players at UFC 304.
Belal Muhammad
People will have to ‘Remember the Name’ now after Belal’s dominant performance over champion and top five pound-for-pound talent Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 main event. In capturing the belt he launches this division firmly into the post-Usman/Colby era. Fresh challengers like Ian Garry, Jack Della Maddalena, and of course Shavkat Rakhmonov await him.
The answer is clear when asking, “What’s next?” Shavkat Rakhmonov is 18-0, has finished every single fight, dominated three top-15 fighters, and is regarded by many as the scariest man in the division at present. Ian Garry and Jack Della Maddalena can fight to see who the next contender is, but Shavkat is undeniable at the moment.
Muhammad’s Next Fight: Shavkat Rakhmonov
Tom Aspinall
The answer for England’s heavyweight champ is also simple; he will fight for the undisputed belt next. Aspinall has already defended his interim belt, which is ridiculous, and he is regarded by many as the true heavyweight champion of the UFC. That title rests with Jon Jones at present, so Tom will fight the winner of the oft-criticized bout between Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic, which will hopefully, finally, be done with later this year.
Aspinall’s Next Fight: winner of Jones/Miocic
Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett’s biggest win to date came at UFC 304, when he utilized his incredible grappling to triangle choke top-fifteen lightweight King (née Bobby) Green. Pimblett silenced many a doubter and will now enter the rankings himself for the first time, opening a whole new door of opportunity for him and his star power in the UK.
The UFC will want to get Paddy the best possible risk/reward ratio in his next matchup. With Hooker, St Denis, Moicano, and Holloway all occupied, Pimblett may be pushed as high as Rafael Fiziev or Beneil Dariush. Beneil is aging and coming off two knockout losses, so the UFC seems likely to take that route, but as a Muay Thai specialist Fiziev may be more vulnerable to Pimblett’s grappling. Dariush is a formidable grappler.
Ultimately, I think Beneil is the more likely candidate. Fiziev’s return timetable is unknown after his injury, and the UFC have shown time and time again that they are willing to feed Dariush to up-and-comers who they are pushing.
Pimblett’s Next Fight: Beneil Dariush
Gregory Rodrigues
‘Robocop’ earned just the second decision win of his UFC career, third as a professional, by largely outclassing Christian Leroy Duncan on the feet at UFC 304. Rodrigues’ pace and pressure and power are too much for most opponents who are unranked, and that is before we mention his BJJ. Thus, with a three fight winning streak in tow, Rodrigues should face a ranked middleweight next.
Numbers fifteen, fourteen, and thirteen are all booked at the moment, while numbers twelve and eleven are on winning streaks and will not fight down. Then comes Dolidze, Hermansson, and Costa. The first two are coming off one win after a poor run, while Costa has not won since 2022 and has not beaten a fighter currently on the UFC roster. They are both Brazilian, but Paulo Costa vs Gregory Rodrigues has true ‘Fight of the Year’ potential and should be booked expeditiously.
Rodrigues’ Next Fight: Paulo Costa
Arnold Allen
Arnold ‘Almighty’ Allen put together one of his best career performances when he comfortably out-struck former GLORY kickboxer and fellow ranked UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze. Many thought Allen would grapple, but he declined to show his well-roundedness and proved he can beat Giga at his own game. Arnold was on a ten fight UFC winning streak when he lost to Max Holloway, so now at 11-2 and soon to be ranked in the top five he should be in for another tough fight.
Really, the choice is not that hard. Yair Rodriguez and Alexander Volkanovski are the only top five featherweights who are available, and nobody really expects the recently deposed champ, one of the greatest of all time, to fight that far down. Yair vs Arnold would be an even stiffer test on the feet for Allen and may even force the Brit to wrestle next time.
Allen’s Next Fight: Yair Rodriguez
