The UFC has announced its return to Manchester, England on July 27 at the Co-op Live arena, with UFC 304 potentially featuring interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and welterweight champion Leon Edwards, marking the first event in Manchester since UFC 204 in 2016.
Alright, folks! The UFC’s making its grand return to Manchester, England. Yep, you heard it right. This will be their fifth trip, and it’s all going down at the Co-op Live arena come July 27.
Now, we’re all waiting with bated breath for the main event of UFC 304 to be announced. But here’s a juicy tidbit. Interim heavyweight champ, Tom Aspinall, has let slip that he’ll be defending his belt at this pay-per-view extravaganza. Intriguing, isn’t it?
And guess what else? Leon Edwards, our Birmingham-based beast, might just put his UFC welterweight title on the line. Now, that’s a card to look forward to!
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. The last time the octagon graced Manchester was when Michael Bisping took sweet revenge on Dan Henderson. He defended his middleweight crown at UFC 204 in 2016, and boy, was it a sight for 16,000 roaring fans!
Manchester’s had its fair share of UFC shows, three to be exact. But only one made it to pay-per-view. Remember Gabriel Gonzaga’s stunning upset against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 70’s main event?
And who could forget UFC 105? Despite being a numbered card, it aired on tape-delay on Spike back in 2009. Then there was that Fight Night main event in 2013, where Lyoto Machida put a stop to Mark Munoz. Ah, good times!