UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards issued a cold warning to his next opponent Belal Muhammad ahead of their title showdown at UFC 304.
This week, Leon Edwards appeared on the British radio platform Capital XTRA Breakfast and after a heart-warming lesson in being taught how to do a ‘Yardie Kick’ by one of his biggest young fans, the UFC welterweight king issued a stark warning to his next opponent.
Leon Edwards vows to ‘shut up’ Belal Muhammad at UFC 304
Whilst it’s unlikely that Edwards will implement the ‘Yardie Kick’ (see below) in the fight against Belal Muhammad, the welterweight champion certainly has his sights set on making a statement in front of the British crowd at UFC 304.
Edwards was asked about his immediate reaction to the news that he’ll get the chance to silence Muhammad at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, and his response: “Finally.”
“You know, this is the second time we’re fighting. [In] the first fight, I was piecing him up – in the second round, [eye poke] and the fight stopped. It’s been, like, a few years now, like three or four years, and now since then he’s been talking loads of ****.
“Every day on Instagram, social media, tweets, everything. So, I feel like finally it would be good to shut him up and show there’s levels to this game. He’ll find out come July.”
The pair originally locked horns back in 2021, but after Edwards got the better of Muhammad in the opening round, a nasty eye-poke frustratingly brought the contest to an unsatisfactory end.
Yet Edwards will get the opportunity to re-write the final act of their bitter rivalry in just a few weeks’ time at UFC 304, where he will walk out at a ridiculously late local time to the raucous cheer of the British faithful.
“I enjoy fighting at home. Some people don’t like it because it’s, ‘oh, too much pressure, everyone wants tickets,’ blah blah blah. But for me, I’ve never lost a fight in the UK. I enjoy that energy of my family being around fight week, and my friends.
“I draw energy from that. It’s my second main event now in the UK. You know, I’ve headlined the 02 before. Now here we are again Manchester.”
Should Edwards earn that desired statement win in July, he’ll be forced to hold his post-fight celebrations in the early hours of Sunday morning – although that could prove equally fruitful.
“And then party straight after?” asked host Shayna Marie – “7am sounds good, I go church; Sunday morning church!” laughed the champ.
Fans in the UK can tune into Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce & Shayna Marie weekdays from 6:30am-10:00am, also available on the Global Player app.
Muhammad had his own bold prediction for UFC 304
As Edwards featured on Capita XTRA Breakfast, his UFC 304 opponent Belal Muhammad was linking up with online content creator Sneako for an interview, in which he sent his own stark warning to ‘Rocky’.
“Honestly, I think I go in there and knock him out,” teased the welterweight veteran, who is himself riding an impressive nine-fight unbeaten streak.
“I think right now, I’m the best version of myself. And I think that Leon’s gonna get in there, him and his team there in Manchester, they’re gonna be surprised, they’re gonna be in a rude awakening.
“People will say whatever they wanna say but my last full camp I knocked out Sean Brady, Gilbert Burns fight was a three weeks’ notice fight… So we’re going out on my last full camp, and it was a knockout. This fight, I’m gonna knock out Leon Edwards.”
Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad is the main event of UFC 304, scheduled for Saturday, July 27th.