You would think that any top-level athlete would want to win a UFC world title via a spectacular and viral finish, but that’s not quite the case here.
With the UFC finally confirming a PPV return to the UK later this summer, there are only two fights that deserve to top the card; one for the interim heavyweight championship, and the other for the welterweight strap.
UFC confirms return to Manchester for PPV event this summer
After weeks of speculation, the UFC has officially announced that the MMA world leader will be returning to Manchester, England, for UFC 304 – exactly 100 PPVs since Michael Bisping defended his middleweight title against Dan Henderson title in the iconic city back in 2016.
UFC 304 will be held at Manchester’s new Co-Op Live arena on Saturday, July 27; however, it’s not all good news for UK fans with confirmation that the main card will start at 3 AM local time on Sunday morning.
One of the two world title fights expected to be on the card is Leon Edwards defending his welterweight belt against bitter rival Belal Muhammad, with ‘Remember the Name’ now issuing a rather unusual prediction for how the fight will go down.
Belal Muhammad predicts ‘50-42’ victory over UFC champ Leon Edwards
Responding to a fan on social media, Belal Muhammad detailed exactly how he sees the UFC welterweight title rematch against Leon Edwards going down.
Unsurprisingly, the 23-3 contender expects to get his hand raised, should that bout come together for UFC Manchester, but what is surprising is the way Muhammad wants to win…Not early or even by finish, but by a dominant decision:
“I picture me coming out piecing him up with boxing the first round then second round I start kicking him and hurting him to the body then third round I start clinching him and hurting him with elbows.”
“In between rounds my coach tells me to stop playing with my food but I don’t listen,” said the 25-year-old, before noting that in the fourth round, he’d start to lock up dangerous submission attempts:
“To the point of him tapping but then I let them go until I hear his coach scream the magic words from the corner then at that point, I lick my lips and I’ll point to the ground like Max Holloway and Leon will look at me in fear then I’ll shoot takedown.”
Ultimately, Belal Muhammad predicted that he’d add to his 17 decision wins already with a “50-42 [victory] on all three judges scorecards.”
A reminder that Leon Edwards has never been finished in his professional career, with two losses coming by way of the decision and one bout ending in disqualification after ‘Rocky’ landed an illegal knee.
Edwards’ head coach slams Muhammad for ‘looking for a way out’
Should the pair face each other in Manchester, it would be a rematch of their 2021 clash at the UFC Apex, which ended in a No Contest after Muhammad suffered an eye poke in the second round.
As discussions surrounding the potential rematch continue, Edwards’ head coach Dave Lovell has stated that Muhammad was looking for a way out, and that ‘Rocky’ would have finished him shortly after the eye poke stopped the fight:
“If the eye poke never happened, I believe Leon would’ve finished [Belal] in the second round. Belal was looking for a way out, he was looking to steal a decision. The eye poke, and the noise he made literally crying and screaming… it’s funny that he didn’t have to go to hospital, he didn’t have any eye damage.”
“So what does that tell you? If the medics clear him after the fight saying ‘you’re alright’ then what does that tell you? He tried to steal a decision but payback’s a b**** so we’ll see,” said the veteran coach.
Muhammad responded directly to the clip via social media, stating that Lovell should “remember this statement after round 4 and Leon is looking to you for your motivational speech after I’ve slapped him around for 20 minutes.”
UFC Manchester is officially confirmed for July 27 – no fights have yet been announced for the card.