Belal Muhammad stuns Leon Edwards, wins welterweight title via unanimous decision – UFC 304 Highlights
14 months removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, top-ranked contender Belal Muhammad stepped into the main event spotlight at UFC 304 looking to land a massive upset over reigning welterweight world champion Leon Edwards.
Muhammad got his ground game going right out the gate, securing a solid takedown against the fence. Before long, Edwards was able to muscle his way back up and went to work on the feet, lighting up Muhammad with a series of solid strikes. With less than a minute to go in the first, Muhammad appeared to clip Edwards, forcing the champ back and allowing the challenger to secure another clean takedown to close the round.
Muhammad picked up right where he left off in the second, backing up Edwards with some strikes before shooting in and taking the champ’s back. Every time ‘Rocky’ would fight his way back up, Muhammad would ragdoll him back down to the canvas.
In a near-disastrous moment, ‘Remember The Name’ inadvertently spiked Edwards on the top of his head during a mat return, though the referee either didn’t notice or simply chose not to address it.
After giving up two rounds, Leon Edwards turned the tables in the third, revering a takedown from Muhammad and taking his opponent’s back. Rocky’ slapped on a body triangle and went fishing for a rear-naked choke, but ‘Bully B’ prevented Edwards from cinching anything in.
Round four saw Muhammad back in control, landing another early takedown and taking Edwards’ back. In the final 30 seconds, ‘Rocky’ reversed the position, but was unable to muster before the bell. It was more of the same in the fifth with ‘Remember The Name’ taking Edwards down and quickly controlling his back.
With time running out, Edwards reversed position and dropped some nasty elbows from the top position, busting open Muhammad and bloodying him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to close the gap on the scorecards.
Official Result: Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to win the UFC welterweight world championship
