Reigning UFC Welterweight champion Leon Edwards will not only be defending his title, but also his home in the UK at UFC 304 when he looks to defend his title against contender Belal Muhammad. The fight is an inevitable one that has been years in the making after the two met back in 2021.
Their first fight ended unceremoniously as due to an accidental eye poke, the fight was ruled a no contest. For Edwards, it was a trying time, as he had four previous fights canceled before the Muhammad booking, all while trying to climb up the rankings and get a shot at the title. He would then earn that title fight after a win over Nate Diaz in 2023.
Making the most of his first title fight opportunity, Edwards landed a memorable head kick knockout that awarded him the UFC Welterweight title back at UFC 278. Since becoming champion, Edwards has defended the belt twice, once against Usman and the second defense coming against bitter rival, Colby Covington.
In his first fight of 2024, Edwards will look to add a third title defense to his resume, while settling the score against Muhammad, and further cementing himself in history as a dominant Welterweight champion.
It won’t be an easy task for Edwards as Muhammad is coming in riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak, with his most recent wins coming against Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, and Stephen Thompson.
While Edwards will be looking to cement himself among the greatest welterweight champions ever, Muhammad will look to settle the score between them.
Having a situation similar to Edwards when he was on his path to a title fight, Muhammad has turned back every other challenger in front of him, making himself undeniable for this opportunity.
Muhammad has defeated every challenger in front of him during his ascension to the top of the division. Picking up marquee wins over former title challengers and top contenders, Belal Muhammad has earned the opportunity to dethrone Edwards, get his revenge from their first meeting, and bring back a belt to Chicago.
Never feeding into the narratives of his fighting style or the trash talk between he and Edwards, Muhammad has been a model of consistency and success in the welterweight division. Having accepted every challenge sent his way, beaten them all, and now wants to make sure everyone remembers his name as he looks to cement himself as a world champion.
In an era where every fighter and champion is looking to further their resume by jumping into different weight classes, Belal Muhammad could be the type of champion who sticks to their division, continues to defend, and becomes an undeniable great.
On the other side, Leon Edwards could retain his belt, put on a show in front of his home UK crowd, then call his shot for the pursuit of a second world title.
