Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad at the UFC 304 official weigh-in. Photo by Patrick McCauley/Cageside Press
Britain’s Leon Edwards, looking to defend his welterweight title for the third time, was the centerpiece of UFC 304 on Saturday, taking on Belal Muhammad in a rematch after three years.
Edwards was the clear favourite among fans heading into the Manchester card, but with the main event fighters arriving at 5:30am local time, it’s no wonder many fans struggled to make it to the end.
Muhammad got the first takedown of the fight within 30 seconds, lifting Edwards with a double leg hold and dropping him on his back. Edwards broke free and Muhammad landed a few short punches to the temple before turning Belal around and pinning him against the fence.
Edwards attempted a takedown but gave up, and the two men returned to the center shortly thereafter. Muhammad went for a left, but the champion connected with a knee. There was some back-and-forth action, with Belal gaining momentum in the final minute. Belal came storming in with punches, lifting the champion and scoring a powerful takedown with about 30 seconds left.
It was certainly a strong opening round for the challenger. In the second round, Muhammad continued to challenge the champion, closing the distance with punches, then changing levels and going for a takedown. This time Edwards fended off the attempt, but Muhammad hung on to him and eventually landed a return to the mat (spiking Edwards down) and tried to climb onto the champion’s back.
Edwards was on the defensive for much of the rest of the round, with the Manchester crowd quickly expressing their dissatisfaction with the lack of action and growing increasingly frustrated. In the final minute, Edwards turned the tide and scored a takedown of his own, but it was so late in the round that the change was of little consequence.
In the third round, Muhammad scored another early takedown, but Edwards got up relatively easily, turned around and got behind the body lock. Edwards dragged Muhammad down, landed both hooks, and tried to get the choke for over three and a half minutes. He was ultimately unable to find the choke, but by staying in control throughout the fight, he at least won the round.
Going into the deciding round, nothing short of a 29-28 win for Muhammad after three stanzas was likely. The fight was still far from over, however, and Edwards had proven he could end a fight late in his fight against Kamaru Usman. In the fourth round, Muhammad came forward with a jab, and Edwards responded with a high kick. In the next exchange, Edwards took down Muhammad with a punch, but couldn’t follow up, with Muhammad landing a counter instead.
A minute into the fight, Muhammad landed a one-two and got some success of his own. The levels then changed, with Belal moving to the back and climbing. What Edwards did in the third round, Muhammad did in the fourth, controlling the rest of the frame from the back.
Edwards got the encouragement he needed from his corner heading into the fifth round and looked to need the finish. The champion blocked an early takedown attempt, but Belal was back on the offensive, forcing Edwards to the fence. Muhammad applied a body lock and Edwards grabbed the fence in defense, drawing a warning from the referee. In a fight he was likely to lose, the referee didn’t seem to care, especially on a night when grabbing the fence was rarely called.
Meanwhile, Muhammad got a takedown and landed a body triangle. In the final minute, Edwards turned around and landed a splitting elbow on Muhammad’s head. Belal was covered in blood, but with time running out, the decision was in the referee’s hands. Not a surprising result. Belal Muhammad is the new UFC welterweight champion.
With fighters like Shavkat Rahmonov and Ian Garry on the waiting list right now, the welterweight division is a crowded field.
Official result: Belal Muhammad defeats Leon Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
