At UFC 304, England’s Leon Edwards aimed to defend his welterweight title for the third time against Belal Muhammad in a highly anticipated rematch. Despite Edwards being the fan favorite, Muhammad dominated the early rounds with effective takedowns and control. Edwards had moments of success, particularly in the third round, but Muhammad’s persistent aggression and grappling maintained his advantage. In the championship rounds, Muhammad continued to control the fight, ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory and becoming the new UFC welterweight champion. Potential future contenders for Muhammad’s title include Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry, indicating a competitive welterweight division ahead.
Many were impressed with the takedowns Muhammad landed on Edwards – and he had a secret in his pocket. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev helped Muhammad polish up his technique in lead up to UFC 304 and Khabib even made a breakdown of Edwards for him.
Belal Muhammad’s recent victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to become the new UFC welterweight champion has garnered much attention, particularly for the involvement of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov in his training. Despite the dominance Muhammad displayed, attributed by some to his grappling skills enhanced by training with Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, Khabib downplayed his role in Muhammad’s success. In a social media message, Nurmagomedov congratulated Muhammad and his coaches, emphasizing that Muhammad’s coaches and his own determination were the main factors behind the victory.
“Belal trained with his coaches, he has very high-class coaches, I just helped him in small things. All credit goes to his coaches and Belal’s heart.”
