UFC 304 heads to Manchester, but who will main event?
Credit to Author: ESPN.com staff| Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:24:19 EST
Daniel Cormier suggests Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler should fight for the an inaugural 165-pound UFC title. (1:36)
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Andreas Hale: In an early morning post on X, the UFC announced its return to the United Kingdom for UFC 304 on July 27. It has long been rumored that the MMA promotion would head back to Manchester this Summer for a pay-per-view. The last time the UFC was in Manchester was for UFC 204 when Michael Bisping defended his middleweight championship against Dan Henderson in the main event held at the Manchester Arena in 2016. Aside from UFC 204, there have been three other occasions when the UFC was in Manchester with UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz in 2013, UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera in 2009 and UFC 70 in 2007 when Gabriel Gonzaga infamously knocked out Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick.
It is expected that one — if not both — of the UFC’s British champions could be featured on the card. UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards last fought in December, when he turned back the challenge of former interim titleholder Colby Covington at UFC 296. The obvious matchup would find Birmingham’s Edwards defending his title in his home country against the UFC’s No. 2 ranked contender, Belal Muhammad, who has been patiently waiting for his name to be called after defeating Gilbert Burns in May 2023. Edwards and Muhammad have history as the two met in 2021, but the fight was ruled a No Contest after an accidental eye poke delivered to Muhammad rendered him unable to continue.
The UFC could also feature interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who is coming off a stunning first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich to claim the gold at UFC 295 in November. Although Aspinall has been targeting a unification bout with heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Jones appears focused on facing former champion Stipe Miocic for his return to the Octagon after tearing a pectoral muscle.
That leaves a potential showdown with the UFC’s No. 5 ranked heavyweight, Curtis Blaydes. The two also have history, as Aspinall suffered his last loss in the Octagon to Blaydes when the British fighter went down with a knee injury just 15 seconds into the fight. Blaydes is coming off of a second-round knockout victory over Jailton Almeida in March.
If the UFC feels ambitious, they could grant light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira his request to bump up to heavyweight to challenge Aspinall for interim gold. Pereira expressed his interest in climbing up to a third weight class following his blistering first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. Although UFC President Dana White didn’t appear to be too keen on having Pereira move to heavyweight, it certainly wouldn’t be out of the question to see it take place on this card.
Daniel Cormier suggests Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler should fight for the an inaugural 165-pound UFC title.
Andreas Hale: Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are finally set to meet in the Octagon at UFC 303 on June 29. While the fight is massive on its own, Daniel Cormier believes something should be added to take it to another level.
And that something is introducing a new championship in a new weight class.
“I believe that if they’re going to do a 165-pound division, it should have a name attached to the weight class that is so big that it draws people’s attention,” Cormier said on Good Guy/Bad Guy opposite Chael Sonnen. “Conor McGregor being that name. Michael Chandler, on the other hand, will benefit from being in the right place at the right time, where these guys would then fight for the super lightweight championship of the world, because that’s what I believe it is. Because it’s only 10 pounds heavier than 155, so let’s call it the super lightweight division. Move 170 to 175, move 185 to 195, keep 205, [keep] heavyweight.”
The idea of introducing another weight class between 155 pounds and 170 pounds has been a talking point amongst fans, fighters and pundits for years. Plenty of fighters have complained about the 15-pound jump between lightweight and welterweight, which has left many fighters too small for welterweight but too large for lightweight. The 155-pound division has long had abundant talent and could benefit from adding a new division.
Sonnen disagrees entirely with the idea of introducing a new division.
“There is no need for a 165-pound title, for one,” Sonnen said. “Part two, the commission does not sanction 165-pound fights. Part three, the UFC does not contest a 165-pound division. Part four, these guys [McGregor and Chandler] combined are coming off of more losses than I have had in my entire career.”
McGregor and Chandler coached opposite of each other on The Ultimate Fighter 31 in early 2023 and have been penciled in for a fight since then. However, a litany of false starts over the past year put the future of the showdown in question. The fight finally came together and was announced following UFC 300.
McGregor is 1-3 in his last four fights over the past five years. He broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 and has not competed since then. Chandler is also 2-4 in his UFC career but has been far more active than McGregor over the past half-decade. He, too, is coming off of a loss to Poirier in November 2022 and hasn’t fought while awaiting a fight date for his blockbuster showdown with McGregor.
Dana White has long opposed introducing a new division, and it would be hard to justify a championship fight between two fighters with a combined record of 2-6 in their eight fights.
Hale: Jiří Procházka already has plans to change weight classes.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion has thrust himself back into the title picture with a knockout victory over Alexander Rakic at UFC 300. Before long, Procházka could find himself in a rematch with the man who defeated him for the title, Alex Pereira. However, should he be able to reclaim the championship he lost by knockout last November, Prochazka, 31, is eyeballing to move down to middleweight to pursue the gold as a 185-pound fighter.
The revelation came from Procházka’s official YouTube channel, where he was asked about the possibility of moving to heavyweight.
“Rather than heavyweight, I thought I’d try middleweight because of the way I feel my metabolism now and the way my body works in preparation,” Procházka said. “So, I know that if I adjust my diet to where I really feel great and clean, I know I could handle the middleweight with some lighter diet.”
Procházka also revealed that he has signed a new deal with the UFC, so he will have plenty of time to adjust to a new weight class.
“It’s an eight-fight, forty-month contract, I think,” Procházka said.
But Procházka did want to clarify that none of this matters if he cannot regain the 205-pound title.
“I would definitely concentrate on that after winning the light heavyweight title,” he said. “But this is all future stuff. I’m just focusing on what I need to do right now.”
Standing at six-feet-four-inches, Procházka is far from a small light heavyweight. But it’s not shocking that a fighter with such a unique persona as Prochazka would attempt a downshift in divisions. Given the current landscape at middleweight, with the title changing hands in four consecutive championship fights since November 2022, it’s likely that Procházka would immediately factor into the title picture upon his arrival.
With an 80-inch reach to go along with his tall frame, he would have a significant height and reach advantage over everyone not named Israel Adesanya. Also, the upper crust of the division features fighters who all focus heavily on striking, and Procházka would fit right in with that current crop of competitors. That is, until Khamzat Chimaev enters the fray should he defeat former champion Robert Whittaker on June 22.
Brett Okamoto: The first half of 2024 PFL regular season is in the books. During the first set of matchups, we saw former champions, returning contenders and plenty of new faces. Here are my biggest questions looking ahead to the second half of the season.
Who’s next for Dakota Ditcheva?
I’m all in on Dakota Ditcheva. She has all the makings of a superstar. That said, it’s very early for her. A loss wouldn’t derail her but obviously, wins are good for a budding star. That makes me really curious who the PFL will give her in a second-round matchup.
Liz Carmouche has no chance against Ditcheva. Taila Santos, no. Julianna Velasquez, I doubt it. I’m guessing Chelsea Hackett or Kana Watanabe, with a hedged bet of Jena Bishop or Shanna Young. I don’t think the PFL will give her the most favorable matchup, but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with the promotion wanting to send her into the playoffs with confidence.
Who will take the No. 1 seed at light heavyweight?
Light heavyweight is the most interesting division in the PFL this year. I couldn’t be more impressed with Impa Kasanganay. If you’re not watching Kasanganay right now, do yourself a favor and start tuning in. He’s carrying himself like a champion after winning it all in 2023, and it’s been fantastic to watch.
But 2022 PFL champion Robert Wilkinson is on a redemption tour, after receiving a drug suspension last year. Antonio Carlos Jr. is also looking for a comeback year, after suffering a major injury. And the widely unknown, yet talented and dangerous Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov might be a problem for all of them. Who knows how the PFL matches them up in the second round, and the results will be crucial, after five of them scored six-point first-round finishes in the opening round.
Where will Bellator have its say?
Bellator fighters cleaned up in the PFL champions vs. Bellator champions event in Saudi Arabia. How will they fare in the PFL’s season format?
Bellator’s main contenders are Russian heavyweight Valentin Moldavsky and women’s flyweight Liz Carmouche. Honestly, I would consider both of them the favorite of their respective divisions after the first round. Both of them left with points — Moldavski with six and Carmouche with three. At welterweight, Bellator had a disappointing showing in the opening round, with Andrey Koreshkov and Logan Storley taking losses.
The PFL vs. Bellator storyline will eventually fade, but not before the end of the 2024 season. Bellator struck the opening blow at the champions card in February, but PFL responded with stronger performances in the regular season matchups.
Jeff Wagenheim: Among the million and one wonderful things about Max Holloway’s last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 on Saturday was the reaction that moment elicited from fighters at cageside. In various videos posted online, Dricus Du Plessis, Sean O’Malley, Valentina Shevchenko, Israel Adesanya, Tom Aspinall, Michael Chandler and Gilbert Burns are all losing their minds. There are two reigning champs and a couple of ex-champs on that list — not an easy audience to impress.
One face in the crowd that was unmoved was Ilia Topuria, who should have been the most excited of all. Holloway had just set up a featherweight megafight, and the division’s champ will likely cash in. Yet Topuria remained stone-faced even when Holloway called him out in his postfight interview in the cage, with the crowd still buzzing.
Topuria finally responded in an X post early Monday morning, congratulating Holloway before saying, “Hopefully we gonna share the Octagon before the end of the year and trust me, you gonna feel something that you never felt before. I will be the first one to take your lights out.” Topuria then listed a Bible verse, Philippians 4:13 — the same one tattooed across the chest of Jon Jones, about being able to do all things because of his faith.
It’s all love champ. I’ll be seeing you soon. Jeremiah 51:20 https://t.co/D6i8Ph7SQ5
Holloway’s response: “It’s all love, champ. I’ll be seeing you soon. Jeremiah 51:20.”
The verse he cited concerns being an instrument of battle, which suggests that it’s not personal, but I’m pointed in your direction. How can Holloway be so warmhearted and icy cold at the same moment?
Later on, Topuria restarted the discourse with an appearance on MMA Hour, looking to add some incentive for himself in a potential matchup with Holloway.
“Without the BMF belt, I don’t want him at all,” Topuria said to Ariel Helwani. “If not, I’m going to fight with Volkanovski, who deserves the rematch more than him. Because he has that belt, I’m excited about that. That’s why I want him. He’s been saying, ‘Right now I have a lot of options’ and this and that. He doesn’t have any options.
Holloway, who defeated the previously ranked No. 3 lightweight in ESPN’s rankings in Gaethje, has a legitimate case to also challenge for Islam Makhachev’s title. Moreover, Holloway could book a bigger superfight with the likes of Conor McGregor in a BMF title defense, depending on how things go in June.
“I’m the champion right now,” Topuira said. “I choose the date. I choose the place. He just has to be ready. He has to wait for the call. Whenever I want him, he has to be ready.”