American Belal Muhammad shocked Britain’s Leon Edwards with a dominant performance to win the welterweight title at UFC 304 in Manchester.

Muhammad, 36, out-grappled Edwards throughout the bout and was awarded victory by a unanimous decision, ending the 32-year-old’s 12-fight win streak and dampening the atmosphere at the Co-op Live.

The win came after a 2021 bout between the pair was stopped and deemed a no-contest following an accidental eye poke from the Briton.

The fight took place just after 05:30 BST with the UFC catering to an American audience, and Edwards adding he felt “tired” during his post-fight interview.

“Not surprising, my body just felt tired from round one,” said Edwards. “All week I’ve felt tired. Congratulations to Belal, we will be back.”

Featuring two Britons in title fights, the show was the biggest to take place on English soil in UFC history and the first to occur at the 23,500 capacity arena since its opening in May.

Much of the build-up, however, had focused on the unusual starting time of 23:00 BST with many fighters - and in particular Edwards - altering their body clocks in advance on the advice of the UFC’s Performance Institute., external

On a card that lacked eye-catching finishes during the middle stages, Paddy Pimblett sparked the fans into life at around 04:30 BST and the energy levels did not dip until Edwards defeat by Muhammad.

Muhammad spoils Manchester party

The 2021 bout between Edwards and Muhammad led to hostility which simmered during fight week, with the American saying he “hated” Edwards and accusing him of refusing to grant a rematch.

Muhammad, who went into the bout with Edwards unbeaten in 10 fights, has played the role of villain throughout fight week, embracing boos with a cheeky grin and teasing fans about England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.

The heavy boos continued for Muhammad - the loudest of the night - as he made his walkout, dancing and joking with his team.

Edwards, who went into the bout as the current longest-reigning title holder in the UFC, looked focused as he walked to the octagon, shadowboxing and muttering words of encouragement to himself.

Following a roaring introduction which saw the crowd copying announcer Bruce Buffer word for word as he presented Edwards, Muhammad threw cold water on the atmosphere by securing a takedown early in the fight.

Edwards had great success defending the wrestling of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in previous title defences, but Muhammad showed he would pose different problems by out-grappling Edwards, throughout the first round.

The American continued to have the upper hand, expertly mixing up his jabs and takedown attempts, as “Rocky” chants from the fans failed to galvanise the Birmingham fighter.

The third round saw the shift in momentum Edwards needed as he secured a takedown of his own, before gaining back control of Muhammad and attempting a rear-naked choke, which was well defended.

But Muhammad would gain the upper hand again in the fourth, pressuring Edwards with jabs against the cage before landing another takedown and controlling the champion on the ground until the final round.

Sensing Edwards needed a spectacular finish, like he did against Usman in 2022 to win the title, the crowd tried to spur the Briton on as the pair locked eyes before the bell rang for the final five minutes.

But like he had for the majority of the fight, Muhammad secured another takedown before controlling the action on the ground, prompting swathes of fans to get up and leave the arena, knowing Edwards was destined for defeat.

“It sounds like all of the people booing have got a lot of tears coming out of their eyes. I’ve got my family in here. God first, always. This fight is for my family, my people and for Palestine,” said Muhammad.

“I got the best team in the world, we study to the core, we get better. We’ve got the best strikers, these guys are killers. You might not know their names, but we’ve got a real champion in Chicago now.

“I’m Belal Muhammad. I’m my own man. Now the world sees it, they’ve got to respect it.”

Edwards, who suffered his first defeat since losing to Kamaru Usman in 2015, then suggested he would like to return to action before the end of the year.

“One more this year, November or December I’m ready to go,” he said.

Source: BBC
--Agencies