Belal Muhammad‘s nickname is “Keep in mind the Identify.”
After Saturday evening’s victory, they will not overlook it.
Muhammad surprised Leon Edwards with an authoritative efficiency that blended stifling grappling and much-improved putting to win the welterweight championship by unanimous determination Saturday in the primary occasion of UFC 304 on the Co-op Reside enviornment in Manchester, England.
The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.
The battle was a rematch of their 2021 assembly that resulted in a no-contest after Muhammad suffered an unintentional eye poke and was unable to proceed. Muhammad needed to wait patiently for the rematch and made good on the chance when it lastly arrived with a career-defining efficiency towards the hometown hero who sought to ship the followers residence glad.
“Now we have an actual champion in Chicago now,” Muhammad mentioned after extending his unbeaten streak to 11.
UFC president Dana White mentioned afterward that a direct rematch between Muhammad and Edwards was unlikely, saying that Saturday’s battle “wasn’t a barnburner.
The battle could not have began any higher for Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who wasted little time swooping in and taking Edwards to the canvas. Nevertheless, Edwards labored his manner again to his toes because the Manchester crowd erupted. Edwards went to work together with his putting, drilling Muhammad with a knee to the midsection and touchdown a tough left uppercut. However Muhammad broke by way of with an uppercut and blended in a slam for a second takedown to shut the spherical.
It was a stark distinction from their earlier assembly, during which Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) methodically picked Muhammad aside within the opening spherical earlier than the attention poke ended the battle. This time round, it was Muhammad selecting aside Edwards. Muhammad additionally took his grappling to a different stage, courtesy of getting former light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his camp to assist him put together for the battle.
The Palestinian American began rapidly within the second spherical, matching Edwards in hand velocity and ultimately taking him down. Edwards managed to face up, however Muhammad dumped the champion headfirst on the canvas and rapidly took his again. Desperately needing a shift in momentum, Edwards obtained to his toes and took Muhammad down on the finish of the spherical.
Within the third spherical, Edwards turned the tables on the grappler by securing a takedown and taking Muhammad’s again. The champion tried to lock in a rear-naked choke as Muhammad desperately fought off the makes an attempt in the course of the spherical. However that was the one noteworthy second that Edwards may discover in a battle that was solidly in Muhammad’s grasp.
Edwards opened the fourth spherical stinging Muhammad with a left hook. However Muhammad held his personal, touchdown a mix that obtained Edwards’ consideration earlier than getting one other takedown and flipping the script from the earlier spherical. Edwards reversed place with 25 seconds left within the spherical, but it surely wasn’t sufficient to drag the battle even.
With coach Dave Lovell passionately urging him to complete the battle, Edwards sought a fight-ending sequence to retain his title. However Muhammad saved up the strain and swarmed in for yet one more takedown, his ninth of the battle, and once more managed him for almost the whole spherical. With time working out, Edwards desperately reversed place and blasted Muhammad with an elbow that opened a gaping lower. It was too little, too late. A brand new champion was to be topped in hostile territory.
The loss ended Edwards’ 13-fight unbeaten streak, the primary blemish on his file in over eight years.
“He mentioned I am no Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or Georges St-Pierre. I am Belal Muhammad,” Muhammad mentioned. “I am my very own man. Now the world is aware of it and sees it, now they need to respect it. I am a world champion.”