Tag: Leon Edwards

UFC 304 ‘Embedded,’ No. 6: ‘They can’t save you now!’

In the sixth and final episode of “Embedded,” you can feel the heat up close at the UFC 304 ceremonial weigh-ins.

The UFC is across the pond for UFC 304, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 304 (pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) puts his belt on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) three years after their first encounter ended in a no contest. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defends the interim heavyweight championship in a rematch with [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) two years after a freak knee injury to Aspinall ended their first fight.

The sixth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Curtis Blaydes has dinner before weigh ins; King Green has a cardio session; Belal Muhammad goes to a spa; UFC 304’s athletes weigh in for fight night.

Also watch:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

What time is Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad fight? Walkout time for UFC 304 main event

Here’s when to expect Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad to make their cage walks at UFC 304.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will finally run it back for all the marbles. This welterweight championship bout scheduled for five rounds is taking place Saturday, July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) is going for his third consecutive defense of his 170-pound title after wins over Kamaru Usman and most recently Colby Covington last December. Edwards and Muhammad are no strangers as the two first fought in March 2021 in a bout that ended in a no contest after a nasty eye poke by Edwards in the second round.

Since that fight, Muhammad often has talked about wanting a rematch, and now he gets it while Edwards is the champion, a shot he’s rightfully earned while on a nine-fight unbeaten streak. Muhammad most recently defeated former title challenger Gilbert Burns in impressive fashion in May 2023 to solidify himself as the No. 1 contender.

Here are the walkout times for the UFC 304 main event between Edwards and Muhammad.

When does the UFC 304 fight card start?

  • The UFC 304 lineup consists of 14 fights. Early prelims start at 6 p.m. ET, prelims at 8 p.m. ET, and the pay-per-view main card at 10 p.m. ET.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad walkout time

  • As the main event, Edwards and Aspinall are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 12:30 a.m. ET.
  • The fight will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304: Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 304 odds between Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round welterweight championship bout in the co-main event, Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad meet Saturday at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, United Kingdom. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m., and they can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims begin 8 p.m. ET, and they can be viewed on ESPN2/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View (PPV).

Records: Edwards (22-3-0) | Muhammad (23-3-0)

The southpaw Edwards took the welterweight strap from Kamaru Usman with a 5th-round KO/TKO win at UFC 278 in August 2022. Edwards then defended the belt at UFC 286 with a majority-decision win in March 2023. In his next fight, his 2nd title defense, Edwards posted a unanimous-decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December.

Edwards has 4 straight wins since a no-contest against Muhammad in their 1st bout in a UFC Fight Night 187 main event in March 2021, which ended in an accidental eye poke early in Round 2.

Muhammad likes to fight long into the night, and PPV fans are likely to get their money’s worth. He has ended up going the distance 4 times in the past 5 bouts, including a win via unanimous decision against Gilbert Burns last time out at UFC 288 in May 2023. Muhammad has gone the distance in 12 of his past 15 bouts since Feb. 11, 2017.

Edwards has also ended up going the distance pretty frequently, including 3 of his past 4 fights, and 11 of the past 15 fights since July 18, 2015.

Edwards has a 2-inch reach advantage, and 3-inch height advantage. While Muhammad has a substantial 4.55-to-2.75 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, Edwards is more accurate with those strikes at 59.36%. Muhammad lands roughly half of his significant strikes at 50.31%.

In takedown average, Muhammad has a slight lead at 1.98-to-1.25, while the takedown-accuracy percentage is nearly identical. Edwards has a 0.42 submission average, to just 0.17 for Muhammad.

Watch the early prelims and prelims with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 11:51 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Edwards -265 (bet $265 to win $100) | Muhammad +210 (bet $100 to win $210)
  • Over/Under: 4.5 rounds (Over -215 | Under +162)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -190 | No +148)

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UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Edwards (-265) will set you back 2.65 times the potential return. That’s pretty risky in a bout featuring a pair of fighters who usually rely upon the judges to determine a winner.

Still, Edwards hasn’t lost since Dec. 19, 2015, nearly a decade of wins. If you were to toss the champ into a multi-leg parlay, it isn’t a bad bet. You just can’t bet this straight up.

PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

It’s actually surprising YES (-190): WILL FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? isn’t a little more expensive, given the frequency these 2 fighters end up going the distance. Backing it straight up, risking 1.9 times the potential return, isn’t terribly attractive, but it is a sound bet. Tossing this into a Same-Game Parlay (SGP) or multi-leg ticket, isn’t a bad idea, either.

In addition, EDWARDS ON POINTS (+120) at plus-money, in front of his fellow countrymen in Manchester, should be a rather decent investment, too.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC 304 video: Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammad keep Dana White on edge at final faceoff

UFC CEO Dana White was not leaving anything to chance in the final faceoff between UFC 304 headliners Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.

MANCHESTER, England – UFC CEO Dana White was not leaving anything to chance in the final faceoff between UFC 304 headliners [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].

Following a tense engagements at the pre-fight press conference, welterweight champion Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and top contender Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) came face-to-face one last time before their title rematch at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins.

Both men were locked in after making weight at the UFC host hotel hours earlier, and now the stage is set for them to share the octagon Saturday at Co-op Live (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN).

Check out the video above to see the Edwards vs. Muhammad face off ahead of UFC 304.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304 ‘Embedded,’ No. 5: Up close and personal with that main event flinch-free faceoff

In the fifth episode of UFC 304 “Embedded,” the fighters have a memorable pre-bout news conference in Manchester.

The UFC is across the pond for UFC 304, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 304 (pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) puts his belt on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) three years after their first encounter ended in a no contest. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defends the interim heavyweight championship in a rematch with [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) two years after a freak knee injury to Aspinall ended their first fight.

The fifth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Champ Tom Aspinall plays games with Michael Bisping; Belal Muhammad gets a hero’s welcome; Arnold Allen goes bowling; Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann get another training session in; Athletes face off at the UFC 304 Press Conference.

Also watch:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304 video: Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammad make weight in Manchester

The main event for the UFC’s latest show in the United Kingdom is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

MANCHESTER, England – The main event for the UFC’s latest show in the United Kingdom is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

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Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304 video: Leon Edwards lunges at Belal Muhammad, who doesn’t flinch during faceoff

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad had to be separated during their first faceoff of UFC 304 fight week.

MANCHESTER, England – Before they meet in the octagon, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] had their first faceoff of fight week Thursday at the UFC 304 press conference.

UFC 304 takes place Saturday at Co-op Live (ESPN+, ESPN2, pay-per-view), which also hosted Thursday’s press conference, where 10 fighters convened before fight night. Afterward, they all came face to face.

Edwards and Muhammad immediately got close and started talking to each other and had to be separated by UFC CEO Dana White. Before it was over, Edwards made a move at Muhammad, who didn’t flinch.

You can watch Edwards and Muhammad’s UFC 304 press conference faceoff in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Paddy Pimblett peels back curtain on fatherhood

In the fourth episode of UFC 304 “Embedded,” Paddy Pimblett talks about what he deals with from his twin babies back home.

The UFC is across the pond for UFC 304, and the popular “Embedded” fight week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 304 (pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

In the main event, welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) puts his belt on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) three years after their first encounter ended in a no contest. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) defends the interim heavyweight championship in a rematch with [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) two years after a freak knee injury to Aspinall ended their first fight.

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Athlete check-ins wrap up for UFC 304; Champ Leon Edwards gets in a late night striking session; King Green goes for a swim; Belal Muhammad trains in the early morning; Curtis Blaydes hits pads in an alley; Media Day kicks off.

Also watch:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Video replay: UFC 304 press conference

You can watch a live stream of the UFC 304 press conference in Manchester, England right here on MMA Junkie.

The UFC 304 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and you can watch a live stream of the event in the video above. The press conference takes place at Co-Op Live in Manchester, England, which also hosts Saturday’s fight card.

UFC 304 is built around two title-fight rematches involving British champions as [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] puts his welterweight title on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag], while Tom [autotag]Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] run it back for the interim heavyweight belt.

Here’s what you need to know about the UFC 304 press conference.

What time does the UFC 304 press conference start?

The UFC 304 press conference starts at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, which is 6 p.m. local time in Manchester.

Who’s taking part in the UFC 304 press conference?

Eight fighters from four main-card bouts are slated to participate in the UFC 304 press conference: Edwards, Muhammad, Aspinall, Blaydes, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag], [autotag]King Green[/autotag], [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag], and [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]. In addition, ranked flyweights [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] and [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] are expected from the early prelims.

UFC CEO Dana White will oversee the UFC 304 press conference.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Video: Previewing UFC 304 with Edwards vs. Muhammad, Aspinall vs. Blaydes title fights

Our “Spinning Back Clique” breaks down UFC 304, including the welterweight and interim heavyweight title bouts in Manchester.

The UFC’s next pay-per-view event is just a few days away, and we could see two new champions.

The promotion travels to Co-op Live in Manchester, England, for a massive event that features a lot of home country talent.

In the main event, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag], who fights out of Birmingham, looks to defend his welterweight title against [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]. In the co-feature, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], who fights out of Liverpool, puts his interim heavyweight title on the line against [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag].

These are high-stakes fights, with all parties involved risking everything. But who has the most to lose? Who has the most to gain?

There is also plenty to like on the undercard of this event, with multiple bouts potentially having title implications.

This week, our “Spinning Back Clique” of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Matthew Wells discussed the top of the card along with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Check out their conversation in the video above, and be sure to watch this week’s full episode below.

https://youtube.com/live/KNxplxwLQ20

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.