Belal Muhammad Denies Leon Edwards an Immediate Rematch after UFC 304: “In 3 Years!”
New UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad doesn’t plan on giving Leon Edwards an immediate title rematch after their UFC 304 headliner.
Muhammad shocked the UK crowd by defeating Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 304 on Saturday in Manchester. He capped off his lengthy unbeaten streak in the Octagon with a title win, using his wrestling to shut down Edwards’ gameplan.
Muhammad’s revenge came three years after a no-contest against Edwards in their 2021 UFC Fight Night main event. Both fighters had come a long way since their first fight, but Muhammad got his vengeance to earn the welterweight championship.
After the fight, pre-fight tensions between Muhammad and Edwards seemed to dampen. But, the heat behind their rivalry remains fiery, and a future trilogy between them seems inevitable.
Muhammad doesn’t plan on granting Edwards an immediate shot at reclaiming the title, and the now-former titleholder will have to grind his way back to the mix.
Belal Muhammad Shrugs Off Leon Edwards Rematch
During his UFC 304 post-fight press conference, Muhammad was asked about a potential trilogy with Edwards.
“Yeah I’ll give him a rematch, in three years,” Muhammad said. “Let him work his way back up. I think it was a dominant fight, there really is no need for a rematch. He didn’t have that long reign of a champion where he’s entitled to a rematch. For me, I came to his hometown, in front of his people, enemy territory, so it was all a layup for him…
“But, I blocked it.”
Edwards hinted at potentially returning to the Octagon at least one more time before year’s end. He could potentially face another top contender before making the case for another title shot against Muhammad.
Muhammad defeated former title challengers Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, and Gilbert Burns en route to the title shot. He hasn’t lost since a 2019 defeat to Geoff Neal.
Edwards won the belt by head-kick knockout over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. He outpointed Usman in their UFC 286 trilogy before defeating Colby Covington in December.
Muhammad will look to rein in a new era in the UFC welterweight division. After ending Edwards’s time on the throne, Muhammad feels his rival should earn another shot at a world title by merit.
