Belal Muhammad doubts Leon Edwards was offered three fights for UFC 300: Claim was ‘to hype up Leon’

Belal Muhammad calls shenanigans on Leon Edwards being offered three fights for UFC 300.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] calls shenanigans on [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] being offered three fights for UFC 300.

The UFC CEO heaped praise on welterweight champion Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) for accepting three fight offers for the historic April 13 card at T-Mobile Arena, but none came to fruition. Those three names were alleged to be lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who confirmed the claim to MMA Junkie, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Khamzat Chimaev.

But none were Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who was declared No. 1 contender after defeating Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.

“If I’m going to be honest, I don’t really buy the whole, ‘We offered him three fights,'” Muhammad said on MMA on Sirius XM. “I know they offered it to Islam, and I know Islam turned it down. But I don’t buy that they offered it to Shavkat because Shavkat was hurt, and I don’t buy that they offered to Khamzat because he ain’t making weight. So, for me, I think it was more so to hype up Leon. Leon doesn’t go on social media, he doesn’t do interviews, he doesn’t hype himself up.

“So, it’s like, Dana White’s a promoter. He has to promote this guy and be like, ‘This guy’s a killer, he said yes to every single fight.’ But if they really wanted him at 300, they knew they could have called me and I would have said yes. It just tells me that they didn’t really want him on 300 or Leon’s a hard guy to deal with. For me, that whole thing was just to hype up Leon and make it seem like he’s a bigger attraction than he really is.”

Despite the long wait, Muhammad has an inkling that an announcement is imminent.

“I feel like something’s going to happen soon,” Muhammad said. “I’m staying positive with it. I know that there’s rumblings of this Manchester card coming up. I don’t even care where, I don’t care the location. I just want a contract with his name on it and a five-round title fight. Please.”

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Belal Muhammad irked by ‘biased’ Michael Bisping’s claim that Leon Edwards dominated first fight

Belal Muhammad dismisses the notion that he was being dominated by Leon Edwards in their first fight.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] dismisses the notion that he was being dominated by [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] in their first fight.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and UFC welterweight champion Edwards battled to a no contest in their March 2021 headliner after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye early Round 2, and rendered him unable to continue.

Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) was able to rock Muhammad with a head kick in Round 1, but Muhammad says they barely fought for that narrative to be drawn. He pointed to Edwards’ title-winning knockout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 to support his point.

“They’re going to say, ‘Oh man, he was killing you that first fight,’ but he’s literally the poster boy for why there’s five rounds, right?” Muhammad said on the Overdogs Podcast. “If that was the case, he was getting killed by Usman for four rounds, and we didn’t need the fifth round – but he won in the last 30 seconds of the fifth round. For myself, I get better as the fight goes on. We literally had one round, and it was a 10-9 round.”

Muhammad thinks [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] is partially responsible for that narrative, accusing him of showing bias for fellow Brit Edwards.

“People haven’t even really seen the fight for them to say, ‘Oh man, you got killed’ – because it’s just like a narrative, right?” Muhammad said. “‘Leon said he was going to kill him, anyway, so I believe Leon’ – Michael Bisping said that, but Michael Bisping is the most biased person in the world. You can say whatever you want to say.”

Unbeaten in his past 10 fights, Muhammad is expected to be next in line for Edwards. Their rematch has been linked for UFC 300 on April 13, but the matchup has yet to be officially confirmed.

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UFC champ Leon Edwards’ bucket list includes defending title at Villa Park

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards hopes he gets an opportunity to headline a stadium show at home.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] hopes he gets an opportunity to headline a stadium show at home.

Two weeks after retaining his title against Colby Covington at UFC 296, Edwards was honored at halftime of Aston Villa’s home win over Burnley this past December at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Edwards was gifted a customized Aston Villa home kit shirt with “Champ” and the number 1 on the back.

Jamaica-born Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) moved to Birmingham as a child and would love nothing more than to compete in the famed soccer arena.

“There’s like bucket list venues that you get in your mind as an athlete,” Edwards said on the “Up Front With Simon Jordan” podcast. “When I first moved to the U.K., I lived behind the Villa stadium in Aston, so I’d love to, as a 360-(degree) moment, headline Villa Park back home, defend my world title. I think that for me would be the icing on the cake.”

Edwards’ fight with Covington was linked to UFC 295 in New York, but ultimately landed in the pay-per-view event a month later in Las Vegas. He still hopes to fight in New York.

“I want to do MSG, Madison Square Garden,” Edwards said. “I was meant to do it last November. Or Saudi (Arabia) – they pay well. If not (MSG), I’ll go to Saudi. So all these little venues, I’d love to just tick off my bucket list and just go down as the best of all time. That’s my goal right now. That’s what’s driving me.”

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Leon Edwards: Conor McGregor great for MMA because he’s given more than he’s taken from it

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards lauds Conor McGregor for his contributions to MMA.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] lauds [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] for his contributions to MMA.

McGregor, a former UFC dual-champion, is the highest pay-per-view draw in company history. He is undoubtedly the biggest star – crossing over to boxing, as well as recently making his Hollywood debut in the “Road House” remake with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Edwards recognizes McGregor’s achievements, and praises him for helping him elevate the sport.

“I think he’s great for the sport,” Edwards said on the “Up Front With Simon Jordan” podcast. “He has definitely brought the sport forward to the casual fans. He is one of those guys that you either like him or you don’t like him, but he is who he is. What he’s achieved in the sport, you can’t take away from him.

“He did become the first ever two-division world champion. So even though he talks all that sh*t, he is actually a good fighter, as well, behind it. He definitely helped the sport. He didn’t take nothing away from it. He definitely gave more in terms of pushing it into the mainstream.”

When host Simon Jordan brought up McGregor’s legal issues, Edwards clarified that it’s his work inside the octagon that he’s a fan of.

“I’m not an admirer of his,” Edwards said. “I’m judging him from the competitive part of it, the self-promotion part of it. His personal life is his own business. I couldn’t give two sh*ts about his personal life. It’s more about what he’s achieved in the game, his self-promotion part of it. To each their own. He’s not my mate.”

Inactive since July 2021, McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to return from injury against Michael Chandler, but an official date has yet to be set.

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Michael ‘Venom’ Page: All-U.K. title fight with Leon Edwards would ‘bring an untold story to the UFC’

Michael Page thinks a Brit vs. Brit title matchup with UFC welterweight champ Leon Edwards would be “an absolutely massive fight.”

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will keep his place as UFC welterweight champion for the foreseeable future, and it’s his goal to eventually secure a title bout with his fellow Brit.

The all-time Bellator knockout record-holder Page (21-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is set to make his octagon debut on March 9 when he meets Kevin Holland at UFC 299, which takes place at Kaseya Center in Miami with a main card on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+. It’s a chance for “Venom” to make a big splash in his new promotion, and the talent-stacked 170-pound division currently led by Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC).

Although Page is aware he has work to do, starting with Holland, he can’t ignore the potentially historic opportunity to set up a UFC title clash with Edwards, which would be the first of its kind featuring two U.K.-based athletes.

“I want give a big knockout, a big knockout and then let’s go for the belt,” Page told MMA Junkie. “Hopefully Leon’s still got the belt. I definitely believe he can still have the belt. We can sell out a stadium. We can make so much noise and sell out a stadium in the U.K. and bring an untold story to the UFC.”

Page, 36, is confident he’s not overselling the magnitude or significance of a fight with Edwards in his part of the world, and it’s achievable in his mind. His journey to the UFC has many similarities to that of former three-time Bellator champion Michael Chandler, who fought for the UFC lightweight title in his second promotional appearance, and has only participated in big fights under the UFC banner.

“It’s a massive fight,” Page said. “It’s an absolutely massive fight. It makes a stadium to where the U.K. artists are at this stage of MMA. The U.K. guys are doing so well. All you have to do is look at Tom Aspinall doing his thing as well at heavyweight. The fact we could get two U.K. guys to headline a main event in the U.K. is unbelievable. For a belt? Like I said, it’s unheard of. Let’s make it happen.”

Page said he expects Edwards to get through his next crop of contenders, which seems likely to be Belal Muhammad at UFC 300 on April 13, then potentially Shavkat Rakhmonov after that. It’s a difficult stretch of challenges, but Page has faith Edwards will hold up his end of the bargain in retaining the strap while he makes his climb to the top of the ranks.

“I think we’re past underestimating Leon Edwards, and I think we’ve been doing that for a long time,” Page said. “Yes it’s tricky (to get through Muhammad and Rakhmonov), but I feel like he’s got one of the hardest runs to the title. His story is amazing. You can see his heart, you can see his grit. He pulled out that spectacular win against Usman, then went and did it again. The display he put on (against Colby Covington), I felt like he could’ve done more, but yet it was still a dominant display.

“I think a lot of people should be over underestimating Leon Edwards. He’s truly the best welterweight in the world. And rightly so. I can still see him being the champion (when I get there) regardless of names that could be potentially fighting him before I get there. I reckon he’ll definitely be holding that belt for a belt for a little while.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

24 fights on our 2024 MMA wish list: Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones (still), Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3, more

Here’s MMA Junkie’s 24-fight wishlist for the new year.

2023 didn’t disappoint in terms of great MMA action, and 2024 looks just as promising, if not more.

With 2024 underway, there’s a new year of fresh possibilities for dream matchups across the MMA landscape, from the UFC to Bellator, PFL, RIZIN FF, ONE Championship and more.

For 2023, unfortunately, only four of the 23 dream fights MMA Junkie wished for came to fruition. We’re not deterred, however, and are back with another slate of 24 matchups we aspire to see in 2024.

Below, we present MMA Junkie’s wish list of 24 fights we’d like to see in 2024.

UFC contender Belal Muhammad says he’s better all around when he trains, fights during Ramadan

Belal Muhammad explains what it’s like to prepare for a UFC fight while observing Ramadan.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is one of the few Muslim fighters, if not the only one, who doesn’t opt out from preparing for fights during Ramadan.

Muhammad, a top contender in the UFC’s welterweight division, has prepared for fights in the past and will continue to do so while observing Ramadan.

The monthlong Muslim holiday involves fasting and not drinking from dawn to sunset, among other spiritual components. This year, Ramadan is from March 10 until April 9.

Being a professional fighter, one could imagine how hard this may be for an athlete training at their fullest. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and other Muslim fighters, have opted out from fighting during the Ramadan. But for Muhammad, he feels it enhances his fighting.

“I think that I’m a better version of myself as a human, as a person, as a Muslim,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie Radio. “When I’m in the right state of mind and at peace, that’s when I’m at my best. In Ramadan, that’s when I’m at my best. Every single fight, every single camp I’ve had doing that – even in the Gilbert Burns fight, I had to do it in the last week. Mentally, the power that I gain from it, it comes into the cage with me.

“The tranquility I have all week leading up, it’s a different feel. I’m not stressing about the fight. I’m giving my time and energy and spirit to God that whole month, so I don’t have to sit there and stress about the stuff I shouldn’t be stressing about. I think it makes me that much better.”

Muhammad is currently unbeaten in his past 10 fights, including nine wins and one no contest to current UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, many expect Muhammad to fight Edwards next. Recently, Edwards said he’s working with the promotion for a return at UFC 300 in on April 13, which is four days after Ramadan.

Muhammad has no problem fighting Edwards at UFC 300, and feels, if anything, the fasting will give him an edge over the English man.

“Mentally, physically, it’s going to tell me I’m doing things that these guys are not doing,” Muhammad said. “Leon is not doing that. Leon, who’s already weak mentally, he’s going to need a sip of water after every freaking round in practice. Me, I’m going to push through it.”

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Video: From Jones-Miocic to Edwards-Strickland, what’s the worst fight booking idea for 2024?

From ignoring interim titles to jumping weight classes, our “Spinning Back Clique” discuss the worst fight ideas to take place in 2024.

A new year brings new fights, but some of the proposed matchups ahead for 2024 don’t exactly make the most sense.

Perhaps the shining example, for better or worse, is the UFC’s plan to stick to having the heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ next fight be against [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]. The fight scheduled for UFC 295 was scrapped due to a Jones injury that will likely have him sidelined until Q4, led to the creation of an interim title that Tom Aspinall won.

But the UFC wants to overlook Aspinall’s piece of gold, and forgo unifying the title at the next opportunity? Red card! 

As has been the recent trend in the UFC, whenever a fighter wins a title, they want to jump to the next division to capture a second quickly. Chasing title defense records seems to be a thing of the past, with a few exceptions.

In 2023, we saw featherweight champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] attempt to win lightweight gold twice and come up short. Heading into 2024, multiple champions including [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag], [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] have expressed a desire to move up to the next weight class to chase champ-champ status.

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Which of these ideas prompted by the promotion or the fighters worthy of a yellow or red card?

That’s what we asked our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura, who tackled the topic with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Check out their conversation above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

Belal Muhammad confident Dana White keeps word, expects ‘weak mentally’ Leon Edwards at UFC 300

For Belal Muhammad, it’s full steam ahead toward a UFC title fight vs. Leon Edwards – and he oozes confidence.

It’s all coming together for [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag], at least in his self-assessment.

With a title challenge against [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] rumored for the UFC 300 card April 13 in Las Vegas, Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) recently told MMA Junkie he hasn’t heard any specifics himself. Regardless of the where and when, Muhammad voiced confidence there was no question of “will.”

“I’m just hoping (UFC CEO) Dana (White) is waiting to do one of those epic announcements,” Muhammad recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “But for me, I think it’s the time that’s going to happen. I feel like I’m ready for it. He said he wants to fight on 300. It makes sense but nothing is finalized until I get a contract. Once I get that, I’ll be satisfied. But for now, it’s just knowing that’s the last thing that Dana told me. I’m next. Dana is not a man to go against his word. We’re just waiting for everything to be finalized and set in stone and ready to go.

“… My last fight, we took it on three weeks notice, for Gilbert Burns. It was one of those moments where I was over there and I was like, there was still a lot of unknowns before taking that fight. It was like, ‘Well, it could be this or it could be that. We don’t know what’s next yet.’ But when I took that fight, they’re like, ‘If you beat Gilbert Burns, you’re next.’ So now, there is no more unknown. We know who’s up next for the title fight. Now, it’s the date, which doesn’t even really matter to me. I’ll fight next week. I’ll fight tomorrow. Just give me that title on the line, I’ll show up and be ready to go.”

Muhammad is already in training hard, which isn’t totally unusual for him. His home base is a small gym, Chicago Fight Team, so Muhammad is constantly assisting his teammates with their fights.

For that, and many other reasons, Muhammad will be ready whenever the promotion calls and has some travel plans for his official training camp.

“I’m planning to go to Dagestan and train with those guys, like you said, to get a new look, to get different feels,” Muhammad said. “Those guys don’t let you take any days off or any easy rounds. That’s always perfect for me. Last time I trained with those guys, we got a dominant finish. I plan to do the same thing.”

Muhammad weighed in as the backup fighter for the UFC 296 main event between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, and pulled no punches in it’s aftermath. Muhammad was unimpressed by the lackluster bout and called it “a joke to the division.”

It’s been nearly three years since Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye, which resulted in an unfortunate no contest. Since then, Muhammad has hankered for a rematch – but to no avail (yet).

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Having closely watched his foe’s path thereafter, Muhammad explained in detail why he feels confident he’ll walk away with the title should the rematch happen.

“The path I had to go since the Leon fight was way different than him,” Muhammad said. “You fought Nate Diaz, who you should’ve been able to walk through. You didn’t. You fought Usman, who was killing you. He had you broken mentally and you landed a head kick. OK. Then, your rematch, you did what you just did to Colby. You made it a lackluster fight. You didn’t fight. You hit and moved, hit and moved, hit and moved. I think it was more so that Usman wasn’t himself that fight because he came back a little bit too soon. I still thought Usman won that fight. If we’re looking at growth, if we’re looking at complete martial artists, if we’re looking at who’s bettering themself, I’ve gotten better every single one of my fights. He hasn’t.”

While they’re unlikely to agree on much, Muhammad echoed Covington’s recent sentiments that Edwards struggles with mental toughness – particularly pointing to coach Dave Lovell’s motivational mid-fight speeches.

“I think Leon having to fight somebody like me, who is hungry, who has been fighting the best guys in the world, it’s going to be a different kind of fight for him,” Muhammad said. “He’s going to realize that when he’s in the cage and his motivational speaker who he has in his corner in between rounds, he can’t really give him advice. ‘Beautiful, Leon. Beautiful.’ When you have coaches like that who give you that type of advice in between (rounds), that just tells me how weak mentally you are. You need those type of guys with you. Like, have David Goggins in your corner because you’re going to need more motivation that ever when you fight me.”

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Bold predictions for 2024: Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Joe Rogan, UFC 300 and more

There are a lot of unknowns for the UFC and MMA in general heading into 2024, but here are seven bold predictions for the new year.

2023 was another year of challenge and change in mixed martial arts, but with that chapter expired, there’s a chance to start brand new in 2024.

There are a lot of unknowns going into the new year, but without further ado, here are seven bold MMA predictions for the next 12 months …

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