UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is seemingly coming around to the idea of fighting Belal Muhammad.
‘Rocky’ is fresh off his return over the weekend in the main event of UFC 296. There, Leon Edwards faced Colby Covington, back for the first time in nearly two years. Despite a heated build-up courtesy of ‘Chaos’, it was all domination on fight night. With Belal Muhammad and others watching on, the British fighter scored a wide unanimous decision win.
‘Remember the Name’ was in the crowd, thanks to his UFC 296 main event backup role. Currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, Belal Muhammad last appeared in May against Gilbert Burns. The bout was billed as a title eliminator, and the Brazilian was dominated. Despite Muhammad earning a decision win, Leon Edwards has yet to commit to the idea that they will fight next.
In the aftermath of UFC 296, ‘Rocky’ stated that Belal Muhammad didn’t deserve a title shot next. Furthermore, Leon Edwards’ coach, Dave Lovell, stated that he would prefer a bout with Gilbert Burns next. As a result, the Chicago native has blasted the welterweight champion several times since.
However, it seems that Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 is on the table after all. On social media, the UFC welterweight champion stated that he’s already discussed the bout with the promotion. However, the British fighter hinted that the issue with making the bout isn’t with him.
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Image Credit: @ufc on twitter
Leon Edwards sends Belal Muhammad a message ahead of potential title bout
“lol belal calm down son you’re the least intimidating person in the organisation. I already told UFC I don’t mind I’ll fight you next that’s easy work. You just have to figure out why they hate you so much” – Edwards wrote on X earlier today, discussing the potential rematch.
In the event that Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad reach a deal, it would be the second time they’ve clashed. The first came in March 2021, as the two met in the main event of a UFC Apex fight night. Despite the British fighter having early success, the bout was ruled a no-contest after a second-round eye poke.
As a result, the two have had unsettled bad blood for nearly three years now. Hopefully, fans will get to see them settle the feud in 2024. However, Leon Edwards has shown interest in moving up in weight to face the winner of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis. That bout is currently slated for UFC 297, in January.
Furthermore, Leon Edwards said that the middleweight title bout would ideally happen at UFC 300 in April. As of now, that card is without a main event. However, Dana White has teased that he will announce the first bouts for the card in the coming days.
What do you make of these comments? Do you want to see Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2? Or would you rather see ‘Rocky’ move to middleweight in 2024?
