The UFC returned to Manchester for the first time in over seven years, with both Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall defending their respective titles.

The event began at 11:00pm British Standard Time, and the main event was scheduled to start at 5:00am.

The early preliminary fights saw Briton Mick Parkin defeat Lukasz Brzeski via TKO and also saw Sam Patterson submit Kiefer Crosbie.

The four preliminary fights all went to decision, with fan favourite Molly McCann losing out to Bruna Brasil and Muhammad Mokaev narrowly overcoming long-term rival Manuel Kape.

Arnold Allen vs Giga Chikadze

The main card opened with Ipswich-born Arnold Allen facing off with the Georgian Giga Chikadze.

Allen came into the fight ranked number 6 in the Featherweight division, while his opponent was ranked number 10, despite a lengthy break from action.

Chikadze started the fight stronger, showcasing his kickboxing skills by landing a right head kick and a flurry of leg kicks.

Allen responded by catching an attempted head kick before delivering a body kick of his own.

Chikadze continued to pressure Allen with a host of kicks and landed a straight left hook with two minutes left in the round.

Allen began to find a home for his left hand and pushed forward as the round edged to its conclusion. He connected with a powerful straight left, but Chikadze immediately responded with a sharp right hook.

With just 10 seconds left off round one, Chikadze narrowly missed with a flying knee, although Allen was knocked off balance. The Brit responded with a straight high kick to the face of the Georgian as the bell went.

Round two began with Allen trying to control the centre of the octagon by forcing Chikadze back with direct jabs.

Chikadze narrowly missed with another spinning wheel kick, and Allen responded with an inside leg kick and a big hook to the body.

The footwork of Chikadze was causing problems for Allen as the Brit was being caught with jabs as he was attempting to cut off the space in the octagon.

Allen forced Chikadze back before connecting with a swift one-two combination against the cage. He followed this up with a left hook in the centre of the cage, which momentarily buckled the Georgian.

The Brit was now finding his range and landed a big left hook before attacking the body of Chikadze.

Chikadze stayed on Allen’s left side for the majority of the fight, which helped him land yet another head kick, although Allen responded with a beautifully timed right hook.

The fighters exchanged blows in the final seconds of the second round, with Allen responding to a high kick with a rapid kick to the body.

Allen landed 16 significant strikes in round two, while Chikadze landed just 13.

As the final round started, Allen began to work behind his right jab and was met with another head kick as he attempted a right overhand.

Chikadze’s nose started to bleed as Allen connected with a series of jabs and right hooks.

With two minutes left of the round, Allen began to push Chikadze back towards the cage, hunting him down with vicious jabs.

Chikadze attempted a spinning elbow, which was slipped by Allen, who continued to pursue his opponent near the perimeter of the Octagon.

Just before the bell, Allen landed a well-timed knee to the body of his opponent.

All three judges scored the contest 29-28 in favour of Arnold ‘Almighty’ Allen, who ended his two-fight losing streak in impressive style.

Chris Leroy Duncan vs Gregory Rodrigues

29-year-old British prospect Chris Leroy Duncan faced his toughest task yet at the hands of the vicious Gregory Rodrigues.

This middleweight bout began with Rodrigues landing a stiff left hook to catch the attention of Duncan, who was attempting to apply some early pressure.

The two fighters traded strikes in the clinch before Rodrigues tried to back Duncan up against the fence. Duncan evaded this attempt but was taken down in the centre of the cage with three minutes left of round one.

Rodrigues connected with some harsh elbows that opened up a huge swelling on the forehead of Duncan. The Briton was unable to get back to his feet, with the experience of Rodrigues shining through as the first round ended.

The second round began in similar fashion with Duncan attempting to exert some pressure, but Rodrigues connected with a beautifully timed counter combination.

Both men engaged in a clinch on the cage before Rodrigues exploded away with consecutive punches. The Brazilian was trying to establish the correct footwork to secure a takedown before the referee eventually separated the two fighters.

Rodrigues began to exert even more domination with a succession of deadly strikes to the face off Duncan before he secured a takedown to finish off another dominant round.

Despite being two rounds down, Duncan began the third round by staying at a distance and attempting to land kicks to the legs and head off Rodrigues.

The Brazilian immediately responded with yet another takedown, although the Brit was able to immediately regain a standing position.

Duncan was beginning to look desperate as he attempted a flying roundhouse kick, which allowed Rodrigues to gain control on the mat.

The final round ended with Rodrigues attempting to lock in a rear naked choke, which Duncan was narrowly able to fight out of.

A dominant display by the Brazilian saw him secure a unanimous decision victory and helped to take his winning streak up to five wins.

Paddy Pimblett vs Bobby ‘King’ Green

With his eyes firmly set on the UFC Lightweight rankings, Paddy Pimblett faced his toughest challenge yet against the experienced King Green.

Pimblett came into the bout off the back of an impressive win against UFC veteran Tony Ferguson, while Green defeated Jim Miller at UFC 300.

The fight started slow with Green adopting his signature hands-down stance whilst Pimblett tried to dictate the pace with a range of jabs.

Pimblett landed a good leg kick while Green tried to find a home with punches to the body.

Pimblett landed yet another big leg kick, causing Green to shoot for a takedown, which led to the Brit locking in a tight guillotine.

From here, Pimblett transitioned beautifully into a triangle before taking the right arm of Green and locking in an armbar.

The referee stopped the action with Green unconscious after just three minutes and 20 seconds of action.

This win propelled Pimblett into rank 15 in the Lightweight division.

Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes 2

The co-main event of the evening saw the long-awaited rematch between the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and Curtis Blades.

The first bout ended after just 16 seconds, with Aspinall damaging the ligaments in his knee when attempting a leg kick.

Blaydes attempted to set the precedent early when narrowly missing a right overhand, although he looked eager to stand toe-to-toe with Aspinall.

The American was letting his hands go in the opening exchanges, but Aspinall soon disrupted this when engaging in a clinch against the cage.

Blaydes missed two consecutive strikes before Aspinall connected with a huge right hand, which sat the American down.

From here, Aspinall took the back of Blaydes before delivering a flurry of strikes before the referee had to end the contest.

Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight championship and once again called out the heavyweight champion Jon Jones after the bout.

Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad 2

Belal Muhammad finally got his chance at the welterweight title when he travelled to Manchester to face the champion Leon Edwards.

The first fight between the duo ended in a no contest when Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye.

This fight started as many expected, with Muhammad securing a takedown just 20 seconds into the fight. Edwards was eventually able to get back to his feet by backing himself up against the cage.

Edwards landed a huge knee to the body of Muhammad and followed it up with a sharp leg kick just moments later.

With just 40 seconds left in round one, Muhammad secured another double-leg takedown, which allowed him to win the first round 30-27.

Muhammad began to showcase his impressive hand speed at the start of round two and connected with two big right overhands.

The challenger once again backed Edwards onto the fence before taking his back on the mat. Muhammad then slammed Edwards onto his head before taking the champions back once again.

Muhammad controlled the majority of the second round, although Edwards was able to secure a takedown with just 30 seconds left of the round.

Round three started in similar fashion with Muhammad locking the hands off Edwards and taking him to the mat yet again.

The champion managed to counter from the floor, however, and locked in a body triangle, although he was unable to put together a rear choke. Edwards maintained this position for the remainder of round three.

The championship rounds began with Edwards attempting a trademark head kick to no avail.

Edwards connected with a swift combination, but Muhammad was again able to take him down to his knees. From here the challenger took the back off the champion and searched for a submission.

The champion escaped with 30 seconds off round four to go but couldn’t capitalise on a dominant position inside the closed guard off Muhammad.

Edwards knew he needed a finish in the final round to retain his title, and he defended the challenger’s first takedown attempt just 20 seconds into the round.

In a carbon copy of previous rounds, Muhammad took Edwards down against the cage and locked in a body triangle on the ground. The champion was able to reverse this manoeuvre and took the top mount position.

Edwards busted Muhammad’s face open with some vicious ground and pound elbows but couldn’t get the finish as the final bell went.

The judges scored the contest 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in favour of the challenger Belal Muhammad, who became the new UFC Welterweight Champion.