Tag: Leon Edwards

Conor McGregor takes aim at UFC’s welterweight title picture: ‘Leon Edwards loves a decision’

Conor McGregor went off on the state of the UFC welterweight division.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] went off on the state of the UFC welterweight division.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will look to notch his third title defense when he runs things back with Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 headliner July 27 in Manchester, England. Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman to capture the title, but went the distance with Usman in their rematch, and all 25 minutes with Colby Covington as well.

Both Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) are on double-digit unbeaten runs, but most of their wins have come by decision which McGregor criticized.

“There’s too many decisions going on now with that Leon fella,” McGregor said in a live stream with Duel Bits (h/t Championship Rounds on X). “Leon Edwards loves a decision. And then he’s fighting another f*cking decision guy, your man Belal, so not great times in the welterweight title picture. (UFC 304 will do 200,000 pay-per-view) buys, probably … not even: 150,000 buys.”

Former dual-champion McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who will return in a 170-pound bout against Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 303 June 29 in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), has his eyes on even more belts.

“Leon Edwards, Nate Diaz almost knocked him out, had him out on his feet,” McGregor said. “If that fight is going on, Leon is unconscious. Also, (Donald) Cerrone went the distance with him.

“I’m looking at all these belts: the lightweight world title – although I’ve held that, how excited would I be to cut that weight again after winning it already? I’ve already held the belt. I’d be excited about the ‘Bad Motherf*cker’ (BMF) title, and I’d be excited about the welterweight title.”

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

Kamaru Usman: Belal Muhammad not a ‘high-enough level of a wrestler’ to beat Leon Edwards at UFC 304

Kamaru Usman picks Leon Edwards to beat Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] picks [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] to beat [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] at UFC 304.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the July 27 main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Usman has lost to Edwards twice in championship fights, but both contests were competitive. The former welterweight champion just doesn’t see Muhammad having the ability to control Edwards on the ground.

“I would say I like Belal, but I think Leon (will win),” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Wrestling is not enough. The sport has changed so much to where guys are learning how to use the cage to get up. It’s not even really wrestling anymore, because if you take a guy down up close to the cage, they’re going to use the cage and they’re going to get back to the feet.

“Guys are getting really, really good at that. … And Belal Muhammad, I don’t feel, is a high enough level of a wrestler to take him down to the center of the cage and keep him down there and win the fight there. Belal, his level is definitely up there now to where he can switch stance. He can fight out of both stances. He mixes it up, and he knows how to control his pace. That’s the biggest thing. You saw it in the Burns fight: He knows how to control his pace.”

Edwards was able to fend off Colby Covington’s wrestling for the most part to notch his second title defense at UFC 296. Although Usman thinks Muhammad manages his pace better than Edwards, he doesn’t think it’ll be enough.

“This is a very intriguing fight,” Usman said. “But Leon just being the champion, and being confident in being the champion, I think he’s going to be sharp.”

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

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Edwards vs. Muhammad, Aspinall to defend interim belt, UFC & Bellator results, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses the announced matchups for UFC 304, Lerone Murphy’s big win over Edson Barboza, UFC 302, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC 304 is stacking up. The promotion announced several key matchups for its July 27 return to Manchester, England. The announcement included two title fights in [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] for the undisputed welterweight title and [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] for the interim heavyweight belt. Additionally, [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag]’s return was revealed to be against veteran [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]. Tons to digest.
  • UFC Fight Night 241 is in the books. In the main event of the card, [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] had a breakout performance, defeating veteran [autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] in dominant fashion. Murphy, who’s undefeated in his MMA career, called for a top-10 opponent after the win. Who should Murphy fight next? Where does Barboza go from here? We break it all down.
  • PFL held yet another of their new Bellator Championship Series events, this time in Paris. In the main event of Bellator Champions Series: Paris, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] defended his bantamweight title in a close split decision win over [autotag]Magomed Magomedov[/autotag]. The co-main event saw French star [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag] make quick work of Jaleel Willis. Two big results for Bellator. So what’s next for both these fighters? We discuss.
  • “Spinning Back Clique” will be off on Memorial Day, but don’t worry, we got you covered with a UFC 302 preview. This week, we’ll take a look at the UFC’s next pay-per-view event, which features a UFC lightweight title bout between [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]. We analyze what’s likely going to be Poirier’s final tine shot, along with the co-main event middleweight bout between [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag].

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Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 304 main event

Belal Muhammad will get his long-awaited rematch vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Here’s what you need to know.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will finally get his long awaited rematch vs. welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] at UFC 304.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad preview

Edwards and Muhammad’s first fight in March 2021 ended in a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye and rendered him unable to continue in the opening seconds of Round 2. In his next fight, Edwards dominated Nate Diaz at UFC 263 to earn his first title shot.

Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) claimed the welterweight title with a knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Since then, “Rocky” has defended his belt twice – in a rematch against Usman at UFC 286, and most recently Colby Covington this past December at UFC 296.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is unbeaten in his past 10 fights with the only hiccup as a no contest against Edwards. Since his fight against Edwards, Muhammad has notched wins over Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, Sean Brady and former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad odds

DraftKings released the opening odds for the main event, in which Edwards is a sizable -270 favorite over Muhammad, who’s a +220 underdog.

How to watch Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad at UFC 304

  • When: July 27
  • Where: Co-op Live, Manchester, England
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view

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

VIDEO: Belal Muhammad reacts to news of long-awaited title shot vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 304

Yes, you heard that correctly, Belal Muhammad will finally get his title shot.

Yes, you heard that correctly, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will finally get his title shot.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will run things back with welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the UFC 304 main event July 27 in Manchester, England.

It’s been a long wait for Muhammad, who’s undefeated in his past 10 fights. “Remember The Name” has been chomping at the bit to rematch Edwards, after their first fight in March 2021 ended in a no contest. Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye, causing him severe damage which rendered him unable to continue.

Five wins later and Muhammad has been awarded his opportunity. Watch him react to the news, which UFC CEO Dana White announced Thursday.

Muhammad was promised a title shot after defeating former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 last May, but it took a year for him to get his wish.

He had to watch Edwards defend his welterweight title against Colby Covington at UFC 296, and was almost passed up again when the promotion had plans of booking Edwards last month at UFC 300. When Shavkat Rakhmonov, Islam Makhachev, and Khamzat Chimaev all turned down the opportunity because of Ramadan, Edwards was no longer featured on the historic card.

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

UFC 304 official with Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad headliner and more in Manchester

After an agonizing wait, Belal Muhammad will finally get his opportunity to rematch Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 304.

After an agonizing wait, [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] will finally get his opportunity to rematch [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] for the UFC welterweight title.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) has been endlessly prodding at Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) to assign a date for them to run it back, and it will happen at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the matchup Thursday on social media. In addition, White announced a co-feature of interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a rematch with Curtis Blaydes, plus Paddy Pimblett vs. Bobby Green.

Edwards, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, will attempt to make his third consecutive title defense in the bout. He claimed gold in August 2022 with a shocking come-from-behind knockout of Kamaru Usman, then logged his first defense in an immediate rematch.

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“Rocky” defeated Colby Covington by lopsided unanimous decision to retain his belt for a second time at UFC 296 in December. He was rumored to headline UFC 300 in April with Islam Makhachev, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Khamzat Chimaev being fights that were proposed, which resulted in much ire from the deserving top contender.

In the end, however, No. 3-ranked Muhammad gets his chance at gold on the strength of a 10-fight unbeaten streak that includes notables such as Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Vicente Luque and Stephen Thompson.

The only blemish on Muhammad’s resume since January 2019 is the no contest in his first encounter with Edwards at UFC Fight Night 187 in March 2021. The fight was halted in the second round when Edwards landed an accidental eye poke, and Muhammad was unable to continue.

Edwards repeatedly has said he thinks he was going to cruise to a victory on that night, while Muhammad argues he was just warming up after accepting the matchup on short notice.

The UFC 304 lineup includes:

  • Champ Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad – for welterweight title
  • Interim champ Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes – for interim heavyweight title
  • Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
  • Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev
  • Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
  • Daniel Pineda vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
  • Bruna Brasil vs. Molly McCann

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

Michael Bisping warns Islam Makhachev of ‘sniper’ Leon Edwards: ‘Be careful what you wish for’

Michael Bisping advises UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to focus on his division.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] advises UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to focus on his division.

Makhachev expressed his desire to move up to welterweight to challenge [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] on multiple occasions, and almost got the opportunity when he was one of three names offered to Edwards at UFC 300.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) declined because he didn’t want to train while observing Ramadan, but still has his sights set on Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC).

“He wants a shot to become the two-weight division champion just like he offered Volkanovski,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “But be careful what you wish for because Leon Edwards, right – Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards is an absolute sniper in there. And look at what he just did to Colby Covington.

“Now apparently Colby Covington says that he broke his foot in the first round. And he also said that the judges, well, they were Democrats, and because of his love for Donald Trump, that’s why they didn’t give him the decision. The reality was it wasn’t a close fight.”

Makhachev defends his title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Bisping thinks if Makhachev gets past Poirier, he has multiple challengers awaiting him at 155 pounds.

“Leon Edwards is not a wrestler, but he’s a black belt in defending takedowns and stopping takedowns against the fence,” Bisping said. “That first round against Kamaru Usman, in that second one when he knocked him out: ‘Head shot, dead.’

“Remember: nice little foot trip, got the mount, took the back, got the body triangle, was looking for the rear-naked choke. … (Makhachev) wants a chance to be great, OK? And Islam, he’s probably just getting headlines because he knows damn well there’s a lot of opposition out there.”

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Leon Edwards’ coach expects Belal Muhammad next, says he ‘was looking for a way out’ in first fight

All signs continue to point to Leon Edwards defending his UFC title in a rematch with Belal Muhammad.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]’ coach, Dave Lovell, expects [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] to be next.

Lovell confirmed that Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) was offered Shavkat Rakhmonov, Khamzat Chimaev, and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 300, but not Muhammad.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) cemented himself as No. 1 contender last May when he defeated Gilbert Burns at UFC 288, but he’s yet to get his long-awaited rematch with Edwards. However, Lovell thinks Muhammad will finally get his shot in the UFC 304 main event July 27 in Manchester, England.

“The lads that was put to him – Shavkat, Khamzat, and Islam, they was all fasting,” Lovell told talkSPORT MMA. “We was ready to go, you know, it is what it is, so because he wasn’t on the the 300 bill, no doubt, there’s a big Muslim contingency in England, in Manchester, so I think it will be Belal. It’s not written in stone, but 99.9 (percent) I think it will be Belal.”

Muhammad is on a 10-fight unbeaten run. The lone asterisk in his streak is a no contest against Edwards in March 2021, when Muhammad stepped in on short notice. The fight was ruled a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye and rendered him unable to continue.

Muhammad’s eye was visibly damaged, but Lovell thinks he milked the injury.

“If the eye poke never happened, I believe Leon would have finished him in the second round the way the fight was going,” Lovell said. “To me, analyzing the fight, looking back at it, Belal was looking for a way out. He was looking to steal a decision because that eye poke, right? And the noise he made, literally crying and screaming, you’ve heard it for yourself. The world heard it.

“It’s funny that he didn’t have to go to the hospital. He didn’t have any eye damage. He didn’t have to go to the hospital to get his eye tested. What does that tell you? If the medics clear him after the fight and say you’re all right, what does that tell you? Tried to steal a decision, but payback is a b*tch. We’ll see.”

Muhammad fired back at Lovell for his comments.

“😂😂😂 remember this statement after round 4 and Leon is looking to you for your motivational speech after I’ve slapped him around for 20 minutes.”

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Belal Muhammad fueled by Leon Edwards title fight delay, things getting personal: ‘I hate his guts’

Belal Muhammad is growing tired of UFC champ Leon Edwards and his team refusing to acknowledge him as No. 1 contender.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is convinced that UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and his team refuse to acknowledge him as No. 1 contender.

Edwards’ manager, Tim Simpson, confirmed to Ariel Helwani that Khamzat Chimaev, Islam Makhachev and Shavkat Rakhmonov were the three names offered to the champ at UFC 300 – even though they asked about Muhammad. After neither fight materialized, Simpson said he expects Muhammad to be next.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who’s unbeaten in his past 10 fights, has grown tired of waiting for his opportunity.

“They’re like the fakest team I’ve ever seen in my life, I’ve never seen anybody lie so much or try to make it seem like they aren’t afraid,” Muhammad told Middle Easy. “You had his coach call for Gilbert Burns after I beat Gilbert Burns. You had his brother call for a Conor McGregor fight. They’re coming up with every other reason to try to avoid me. It’s blatant. The fans are starting to see it now. You have his manager doing the same thing.

“When you have all of these guys talking for you, that just tells me you’re that coward that’s hiding behind (them). You’re the champion of the world. If you’re the best fighter in the world, fight the best guy in the division that’s right behind you. I have the longest winning streak in the division. I’m the one beating all these guys. … I know I’m the best in the world, and he knows I’m the best in the world. That’s why he’s trying to avoid this fight because I’m the toughest matchup for him. He’s trying to do anything he can do to hold on to the belt as long as possible.”

Muhammad and Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) battled to a no contest in March 2021, when Edwards inadvertently poked Muhammad in the eye and rendered him unable to continue.

Muhammad has been eager to run things back with Edwards, and at this point, things have gotten personal for him.

“I hate his guts,” Muhammad said. …”The Leon fight, they’re trying to avoid me. Him trying to act like downplaying my accomplishments and telling me I don’t deserve it, I never earned it – that stuff does nothing but piss me off. It’s fueling me with hatred for this guy, and I just can’t wait to get in there and get my hands on him.”

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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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