Predicting the stud & dud of UFC 304

The UFC makes their return to London, England for UFC 304 which features a pair of championship fights in the main and co-main events, along with an absolutely stacked undercard and prelims. With many high level competitors and many more up-and-coming fighters throughout the event, choosing a stud & dud for UFC 304 may be difficult.

The main and co-main events feature two rematches for the undisputed UFC welterweight and interim UFC heavyweight championships respectively, but our stud & dud for UFC 304 will not be featured in either contest. Let's take a look at who will have a memorable (and not-so-memorable) night at UFC 304.

UFC 304 stud: Paddy Pimblett

After Pimblett's uninspiring performance against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 where he was victorious in a close decision win, his stock among fight fans was on the decline. Compared to the push he received at the beginning of his UFC tenure, his star power and popularity had taken a significant hit.

However, after his return fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December 2023, a performance he looked much better in, he is seemingly back on track and looking forward to the top 15 of the UFC lightweight division.

At UFC 304 he faces No. 15 ranked lightweight contender Bobby Green, who is coming off of his impressive win over Jim Miller at UFC 300 and has won three of his last four fights. It appears that Green has reached a late-career peak where at 37 years old, he looks better than ever.

However, his opponent Pimblett, has not lost since September 2018 where he was still competing in Cage Warriors, and although his last finish victory was July 2022, he has still been able to put together wins inside the Octagon and is currently on a seven fight win streak.

Pimblett will also have the decided grappling advantage in his matchup against Green along with an overwhelming home crowd advantage. At UFC 304, Pimblett will once again rise to the occasion in his home nation and deliver yet another unforgettable performance.

UFC 304 dud: Giga Chikadze

Before his loss to Calvin Kattar in January 2022, Chikadze looked as if he could be the next great featherweight contender. While he rebounded after his loss to Kattar to defeat Alex Caceres and is still ranked as a top 10 featherweight, the momentum he was building from 2019-2021 has certainly been diminished.

He has a chance to regain much of this forward momentum with a win at UFC 304, but with an opponent like Arnold Allen, it will undoubtedly be an uphill battle.

Allen is 5-0 in England under the UFC banner and has arguably his greatest career performance in his home country when he defeated Dan Hooker by knockout in round one in March 2022. Allen has also lost two consecutive fights and is in a true must win scenario at UFC 304.

For Chikadze to win at UFC 304, he will need to put together the best performance of his career against what is likely the most highly skilled opponent he has faced to this point. Though Chikadze is highly skilled in his own right, Allen will simply be too well-rounded over the course of three rounds and will earn another victory in England.

A loss would mean that Chikadze has lost two of his last three fights and would be making his way closer to the outside of the official rankings. A win would certainly revitalize Chikadze's path to the championship, but the odds are too stacked against him especially with an opponent like Allen meaning that he is the predicted UFC 304 dud.