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Video: UFC 304 ‘Embedded’ Episode 1
On this episode of 'Embedded,' Tom Aspinall gets the hero treatment in his hometown of Manchester, England.
Tom Aspinall believes he can get the better the Alexander Volkov yet again in a potential rematch.
Tom Aspinall Responds to Alexander Volkov’s Callout: 'I Just Think I’m Better Than Him'
Tom Aspinall believes he can get the better the Alexander Volkov yet again in a potential rematch.
Aspinall is slated to defend his interim heavyweight title in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes in the main event at UFC 304 on Saturday in Manchester, England. Meanwhile, Volkov is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Abu Dhabi last month. While a clash between Volkov and Ciryl Gane is reportedly in the works for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi in October, “Drago” claimed to have not received a contract for the bout a week ago.
Meanwhile, lineal champ Jon Jones is currently sidelined with injury and slated to fight former champ Stipe Miocic upon his return. With Miocic having not fought in over three years, Volkov considers the Jones vs. Miocic matchup more of a fantasy fight rather than a real title fight. Volkov recently called for rematch against Aspinall, with a potential win putting him in a title unification bout against “Bones.”
“To save the world, the championship belt and the UFC's reputation I need to beat Aspinall first, then beat Jon Jones and unify the interim and the main heavyweight belts,” Volkov told Match TV (via Red Corner MMA).
UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
Aspinall scored a first-round submission win over Volkov in their initial encounter at UFC London in March 2022. While “Honey Badger” doesn’t underestimate Volkov in any way, the Brit believes he can dispatch the Russian in the first round yet again in a potential rematch.
“It didn’t go that well for him the first time,” Aspinall told Red Corner MMA. “Well, I don’t know, if it happens, it happens. I’m open to any fight. I’ve never turned a fight down in my life. Volkov’s a solid guy, a solid opponent. I beat him in the first round last time, and I think I can beat him in the first round again. That’s no disrespect to Volkov. I think he’s solid, but I just think I’m better than him. But again, as I always say, heavyweight MMA, it’s no two fights that are the same. He definitely has the skills to beat me. I’m not saying anything bad about him. But I think skill for skill, I’m head and shoulders above him. No disrespect to him, I like him, but that’s my opinion.”
Aspinall also spoke about his liking for Russian fighters in general, which primarily stems from the “respectful” attitude he has seen in them.
“From my personal experience with Russians, I just find them really respectful, really positive and just nice genuine people to get along with,” Aspinall said. “As I said, I’m not speaking of anybody else’s experience, that’s my experience. And as fighters, they’re just solid. They’re good everywhere. They’re all lifelong martial artists like me, the ones who I fought are anyway. And just like solid respectful human beings from my experience at least.”
Leon Edwards detractors can still point to one glaring entry on his resume: a no contest with Belal Muhammad three-plus years ago.
The longtime rivals will finally settle their score when Edwards defends the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown against Muhammad in the UFC 304 headliner this Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Their first encounter ended with anticlimactic eye poke in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 187 pairing on March 13, 2021, and they have remained at odds with one another ever since. Edwards enters the cage on the strength of a four-fight winning streak. The Team Renegade star last suited up at UFC 296, where he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over promotional lightning rod Colby Covington on Dec. 16. Muhammad, meanwhile, has rattled off five consecutive victories. The Roufusport product has not competed since he outpointed Gilbert Burns to a unanimous verdict at UFC 288 in May 2023.
By The Numbers: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
The longtime rivals will finally settle their score in the UFC 304 main event on Saturday in Manchester, England, where the fate of the undisputed welterweight crown hangs in the balance.
As Edwards and Muhammad approach their high-stakes rematch at 170 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
32: Years of age for Edwards, who was born on Aug. 25, 1991 in Kingston, Jamaica—some 4,600 miles from where he now resides in Birmingham, England.
3: Edwards wins by submission, accounting for 13% of his career total (22). His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes and one arm-triangle choke. Edwards holds seven other wins by knockout or technical knockout (32%) and 12 more by decision (55%).
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100,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Edwards across his 17 appearances inside the Octagon. He has been awarded “Performance of the Night” twice.
7: Countries in which Edwards has plied his mixed martial arts trade. He has gone 13-1 in England, 4-1 with one no contest in the United States, 2-0 in the Netherlands, 1-0 in Poland, 1-0 in Scotland, 1-0 in Singapore and 0-1 in Brazil.
.822: Cumulative winning percentage between the three men—Kamaru Usman, Claudio Silva and Delroy McDowell—who have defeated Edwards. They boast a combined record of 37-8.
36: Years of age for Muhammad, who was born in Chicago on July 9, 1988. “Coming to America,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Big,” “License to Drive” and “Arthur 2: On the Rocks” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.
5: Muhammad victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 22% of his career total (23). His list of UFC victims: Sean Brady and Augusto Montano. Muhammad owns one other victory by submission (4%)—he put away Takashi Sato with a rear-naked choke at UFC 242 in 2019—and 17 more by decision (74%).
137: Seconds needed for Muhammad to turn away Justin Brock with punches in his Aug. 18, 2012 debut under the Hoosier Fight Club banner. Nearly 12 years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
79: Rounds started by Muhammad as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 19 different occasions and carries a 17-2 record in those bouts.
54: Combined wins between the three men—Geoff Neal, Vicente Luque and Alan Jouban—who have beaten Muhammad. They sport a cumulative .699 winning percentage at 54-23-1.
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@StonedLemur @Fight Professor @TerrorTimmy @Elvis. @ryun253 @don't ask @C0NCH3TO @MEAN357 @Cooliox @mudrubble @Bobby Boulders @Simple Southerner @svmr_db @Luthien @BoxerMaurits @Neck&Neck @SeattleFightFan @Ares Black @SalvadorAllende @Arm Barbarian @Blanqa Blanqua @Royce's Gi @Cooliox @Krixes @MXZT @wisdom blows @nonoob @Mohawk Banditó @JKS @SuperNerd @2004 account @Mammothman @Bushwhacker B @Siver! @TITS @Cowboy Kurt Angle @Jose Beehive @MEAN357 @NoBiasJustMMA @FlyingDeathKick @Doughie99 @13Seconds @CPH @Kenny Powerth @OldBoy91 @Kryptt @Paynebringer @HI SCOTT NEWMAN @Poirierfan @SenorFranko @MMALOPEZ @Hellowhosthat @Get To Da Choppa @BangBang @Substance Abuse @John makfresshi @Islam Imamate @Wong_Wongster_Irish @TCE @Jackonfire @helax @Iroh
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