UFC 304: Aspinall calls out Jones after retaining interim heavyweight title

Tom Aspinall retained the UFC interim heavyweight championship with a gruelling first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304, setting up the English fighter for a potentially colossal showdown with Jon Jones.

Aspinall shook Blaydes awake with a hard right hand that sent the challenger to the canvas before finishing him with a series of right blows to the head that ended the fight after just one minute of the first round – and set up a blockbuster heavyweight fight.

Aspinall, 31, challenged Jones to a unification fight. Jones, widely regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, has been sidelined since his last fight in March 2023 with a torn pectoral tendon. He is the reigning heavyweight champion, but his absence has forced the need for an interim champion. There are still obstacles — among them, Jones must first defend his title at least one more time, likely against Stipe Miocic, and he must be cleared to compete.

“I’m the best finisher in the UFC, if I’m going to top you, you’re done,” Aspinall said. “Who wants to see Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones?” he asked a roaring crowd in Manchester, during the UFC’s first trip to the city since 2016. Aspinall, now with a 15-3 record, then looked straight into a camera and challenged Jones. “I just think I’m better than you,” he said. “I know I can beat you in a fight.”

The win was something of a vindication for Aspinall, whose only previous UFC loss came to Blaydes in 2022, when Aspinall was forced to leave the fight after just 15 seconds when his knee buckled while attempting a kick. Since returning, he has finished all three of his opponents in the first round.

“I had nothing against [Blaydes] personally, but we had to put that behind us,” Aspinall said. “It was a freak accident. Now I have my revenge. Thank God.”

In the other main event in Manchester, Belal Muhammad won the welterweight title with a five-round unanimous decision victory over champion Leon Edwards. Muhammad, an American fighter from Illinois, enjoyed beating the Englishman in his home country. “It looks like all the people booing have a lot of tears in their eyes,” Muhammad said. “We have a real champion in Chicago now.”

With his face covered in blood, Muhammad (24-3) sank to his knees moments after notching an 11th straight victory and lifting the championship belt around his waist. He hasn’t lost since 2019. Edwards (22-4) defeated Kamaru Usman to win the belt in 2022 and has made two successful title defenses.

All four fighters in the two title fights wore the new Golden Gloves, which were introduced at UFC 302 and are designed to minimize eye pokes. To accommodate the traditional 10 p.m. pay-per-view start time for an American East Coast audience, the official start time for the main card was 3:33 a.m. in Manchester.