Can Leon Edwards Add Another Title Defence to His Title Reign at UFC 304?
The Ultimate Fighting Championship 304 will take place on the 27th of July at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. This is not the first time a UFC event has been held in Manchester, with the most recent being UFC 204 in 2016. This is a special night for UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards, who is defending his title against Belal Muhammad. Will Edwards be successful, or can Muhammad silence the home crowd with victory?
Edwards the Favourite
This will be the third title defence for Edwards having won the belt in August 2022. Edwards beat Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 with a knockout kick to the head in August 2022 in Salt Lake City. Not only did the victory claim the performance of the night award but it was also the knockout of the year. Edwards has since defended the UFC Welterweight Championship against Usman thanks to a majority decision and Colby Covington, with a unanimous decision.
The MMA betting odds have Edwards as the favourite to make it three titles defenses in a row. You must go back to December 2015 to find the last time Edwards suffered a defeat and it was against Usman, a fighter he has since beaten twice. Edwards is undefeated in his last 12 fights and will be full of confidence going into this contest.
Muhammad the Outsider
Belal Muhammad is also enjoying a long unbeaten run in the UFC, and he comes into this fight on the back of 9 straight victories. The most recent success was a unanimous victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in May 2023. So, it has been some time since Muhammad has fought in the UFC. Prior to the win over Burns, you must go back to October 2022 to find Muhammad’s previous fight and that ended in a TKO victory over Sean Brady in Abu Dhabi. Muhammad earned the performance of the night award for that win. The only title Muhammad has held in his professional career is the Titan FC Welterweight Championship, which he won back in 2016. Based on this information, it is easy to see why Belal comes into this fight as the outsider with the bookmakers.
Edwards vs Muhammad Prediction
This will be the second time these two men have met in the UFC, but the first fight ended as a no contest because of an accidental eye poke that rendered Muhammad unable to continue. There is no doubt both men have the power to end the fight early, but this one is more likely to go the distance. Belal will want to turn the contest into a slugfest and Edwards will not be too disappointed if that is how the fight develops. Edwards has the technique and the range to keep Muhammad at a manageable distance and although it might not be the most thrilling fight for the neutral, the home crowd will be more than happy if Edwards can claim a points victory.
