5 best UFC fights to look forward to in July 2024
With UFC 303 set to take place this weekend, the month of June is almost over. Therefore, it's time to look forward to July in the world's biggest MMA promotion.
Next month only features three UFC event, with no show set to take place on July 6. Therefore, there's less quality fights to look forward to.
Despite this, with one major pay-per-view on the horizon, there are still some big fights set to go down.
Here are the five best UFC fights to look forward to in July 2024.
#5 Paddy Pimblett vs. Bobby Green - UFC 304
As July's lone pay-per-view offering from the UFC, it's hardly a surprise that four of the five fights on this list are set to take place there.
With the event due to go down in Manchester, there's a distinctive British feel to the card, too, with many of England's brightest talents on show.
One of these talents is lightweight Paddy Pimblett. 'The Baddy' has been widely criticized since his 2021 debut for perhaps not fighting the toughest opponents, but he has looked good in most of his fights.
More to the point, it's hardly the Liverpool native's fault that the promotion sees star quality in him and has seemingly wanted to push him.
In July, though, Pimblett should face his toughest test to date in the form of veteran Bobby Green.
'King' is 37 years old now and probably doesn't have too long left at the top, but he's still a very talented and dangerous fighter. In fact, he's lost just one of his past four fights and holds wins over Grant Dawson, Tony Ferguson and Jim Miller.
Pimblett's last win also came over Ferguson, but it's safe to say that Green is not quite as past his best as 'El Cucuy'. If 'The Baddy' wants to win this one, he'll have to reach another gear entirely.
Whether he can do that is a fair question to ask, and that alone makes this one amongst the best fights on offer in July.
#4 Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape - UFC 304
UFC 304 is set to feature a pair of title bouts at the top of the card, but a little lower down, it may also feature a fight to decide the next flyweight title challenger.
This fight pits adopted British prospect Muhammad Mokaev against flashy kickboxer Manel Kape in what should be a classic grappler vs. striker clash.
While neither man is currently ranked in the top five at 125 pounds - Mokaev is No.6, Kape No.8 - their lengthy winning streaks could earn either a crack at Alexandre Pantoja next time around.
Mokaev has yet to be beaten in MMA. 'The Punisher' is 12-0 with six of those wins coming in the octagon, and his most recent win came over former title challenger Alex Perez.
Kape, meanwhile, has won his last four bouts, and actually took Pantoja to the limit in their fight in 2021. 'Starboy' is one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, with eleven of his 19 wins coming via KO.
Whether he can stop Mokaev's takedown and punishing top control is another thing entirely, but either way, this should be a thrilling fight with plenty at stake.
#3 Rose Namajunas vs. Maycee Barber - UFC on ESPN 59
The UFC's Fight Night event on July 13 is a rare trip away from the Las Vegas APEX. Instead, the show will come live from Denver, Colorado - where MMA began in 1993 - and will feature a major flyweight headliner.
This bout pits former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas against the fast-rising prospect Maycee Barber. There's no doubt that it's the best women's fight in July by far.
Of the two, Barber has been on the better run as of late. 'The Future' returned from a severe knee injury in 2021, and bounced back from a loss to current 125 pound champ Alexa Grasso by reeling off six straight wins.
With heavy hands, an impressive gas tank and a lot of strength and power, Barber is a dangerous opponent for anyone, as the more technical Amanda Ribas found out when she was TKO'd in 2023.
Namajunas is undoubtedly her toughest test to date, though. 'Thug Rose' shrugged off a disappointing loss to Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut to impressively outpoint Ribas in March. It was her first win since 2021.
What makes this fight so intriguing is that it offers Barber the real opportunity to become a true contender by knocking off one of the UFC's top female stars.
'Thug Rose' is more proven and more technical, but against a buzzsaw like 'The Future', that may not matter. If Namajunas can win, though, she'd be back in contention in her own right.
Overall, there are so many questions around this one that it'll be a must-see bout, and it's easily one of the best on offer in July.
#2 Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad - UFC 304
UFC 304's headliner will see welterweight champion Leon Edwards in action for the first time in 2024. 'Rocky' might not be facing the most marketable opponent, but it's hard to deny that Belal Muhammad has earned his shot at the title.
'Remember the Name' is currently riding a ten-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2019, and holds wins over the likes of Stephen Thompson, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
Sure, his fighting style can be criticized, but he's effective and clearly a very difficult man to beat.
The latter could easily apply to Edwards, too. 'Rocky' last suffered a defeat way back in 2015, and since winning the title from Kamaru Usman in 2022, he's defended it twice. He outpointed 'The Nigerian Nightmare' in a rematch, and then shut out Colby Covington.
Most interestingly, though, these two men have already fought once, back in 2021. The fight ended controversially, as Muhammad suffered an eye poke and was unable to continue.
Prior to that, though, it looked like Edwards was piecing him up, maybe suggesting which direction this fight might go in.
Despite that, this is still a huge fight between the world's best 170 pound fighter and a genuine threat to his crown. Will it be July's most exciting fight? Perhaps not, but it's a must-see one nonetheless.
#1 Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes - UFC 304
While it isn't placed in the headline slot at UFC 304, it's definitely arguable that July's biggest fight is the interim heavyweight title one between Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blaydes.
With Jon Jones still frustratingly absent, this fight is essentially one that will decide the promotion's top big man right now. Whoever wins probably has a fair claim to call themselves the rightful champion.
Of course, while Aspinall is coming into the clash on a hotter run, coming off a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich last year, it's arguably that Blaydes might have a slight psychological advantage.
That's because 'Razor' remains the only man to beat Aspinall in the UFC, albeit with a big asterisk hanging over that clash.
It took place in the UK two summers ago, and saw Blaydes win via TKO when Aspinall unfortunately suffered a devastating knee injury.
That gives both fighters extra motivation - if they needed it - this time around. For Aspinall, he'll want to prove that the initial loss to Blaydes was bogus and he remains the promotion's top young heavyweight.
For 'Razor', it's a chance to prove the doubters that have often followed him across his career wrong. He holds wins over the likes of Jailton Almeida, Alexander Volkov and many others, but still seems to be perennially overlooked.
Based on the fact that Aspinall has never been the distance in the octagon, it's also unlikely that this fight will be the outlier. With that considered, this one could be massively exciting too, and could have ramifications for the division for years to come.