UFC confirm date for pay-per-view card in Manchester after exciting fans with deleted social media post...

The UFC’s return to England finally has an official date.

Dana White recently confirmed that MMA’s premier promotion will put on a pay-per-view show in Manchester this July but stopped short of revealing a specific date.

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On Tuesday, the company’s official X – formerly known as Twitter – account shared a poster to promote UFC 304, which will take place in Manchester on July 27.

The picture was quickly taken down, but not before MMA fans had grabbed a screenshot and began celebrating the UFC’s latest UK show getting an official date.

One fan tweeted: “Somebody at the UFC pressed post when they shouldn't have and then deleted it, but the Internet is too quick for those mfers.”

Another said: “The UFC deleted it...but we still have it.”

A third person commented: “Gotta be faster with the delete button.”

Someone else asked: “Why do you think UFC deleted this #UFC304 announcement?”

UFC champions Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall are expected to defend their belts on the card, although who they will fight remains unclear.

Dave Lovell, who is Edwards’ coach, recently spoke with talkSPORT MMA and named the opponent his star client is almost certain to face next.

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"The UFC is over here in July, so no doubt Leon will be on that bill,” Lovell told Kweku Afari at OKTAGON 56 in Birmingham on Saturday night.

"I think it will be Belal [Muhammad] next. It’s not written in stone, but 99.9 per cent [of me] thinks it will be Belal.

“Leon is looking forward to the July bill, he starts his camp next week, for a 12-week camp and we are sharpening up our tools to deal with Mr. Belal.”

Edwards and Muhammad fought in March 2021, but their fight ended in a no-contest after the Palestinian-American MMA star took an inadvertent eye poke in round two.

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On Wednesday morning, the UFC confirmed the date for UFC 304 was correct with a follow-up post on their website, which included a quote from White.

He said: “I’m so excited to get back to Manchester. And no better time than this summer.

"We have two champions from the UK and fans have been dying for a UFC PPV event. So here we come to the largest indoor arena in the UK.

"See you soon, England!”

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talkSPORT's combat sports reporter Adam Catterall subsequently revealed that UFC 304 will have a peculiar start time like the promotion's last show in Manchester eight years ago.

Fans packed out the AO Arena until 6am to watch Michael Bisping rematch Dan Henderson at UFC 2024 and will have to do so again if they want to see Edwards and Aspinall this summer.

"Finally, we can talk about it! #UFC304 has been officially announced by the UFC for Manchester’s brand new Co-Op arena on July 27th," he tweeted.

"It will be a late one. 11pm prelims with the main card at 3am. Wait until they officially announce the fights. Incredible."