Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Belal Muhammad on defeating Leon Edwards to claim the UFC Men's Welterweight Championship title at UFC 304 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
MANCHESTER, England, July 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- 36-Year-Old MMA Athlete from Chicago Takes 170-Pound Division Champion by Unanimous Decision.
Please welcome the new Champion! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Belal Muhammad on defeating Leon Edwards to claim the UFC Men's Welterweight Championship title at UFC 304 in Manchester, United Kingdom. In the event's headline fight, the 36-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, battled his opponent for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory.
UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 was contested in front of 17,900 spectators inside the Co-op Live venue in Manchester, England. Featuring five fights on the Main Card, the event was broadcast live on ESPN, and the Prelims streamed on the ESPN+ platform.
Monster Energy's Muhammad (24-3) stepped into the Octagon in Manchester on a ten-fight win streak and has been undefeated since April 2019. The American fighter, born to Palestinian parents in Chicago, most recently defeated Brazilian Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in May 2023.
Muhammad's opponent was the reigning UFC Men's Welterweight Champion, 32-year-old Edwards (22-4) from Kingston, Jamaica. Edwards took the title from Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022 and mastered two successful title defenses.
UFC 304 was a rematch for the two opponents: Muhammad and Edwards had first clashed in the Octagon at a UFC Fight Night in March 2021. Their fight was ruled a 'no contest' after Muhammad suffered an accidental eye poke. With the Bantamweight title on the line, the rematch in Manchester would finally settle the score.
From the start, Muhammad pressured the reigning champion with high-volume strikes that put Edwards on the defense. No longer able to resort to his notorious striking, Edwards found himself overpowered by Muhammad's grappling and ground control.
Although Edwards successfully evaded the challenger's submission attempts, Muhammad effectively controlled the fight and set the pace. A key scene unfolded in the second round when Muhammad slammed Edwards head-first into the ground, followed by near submissions over the following rounds. Although Muhammad absorbed heavy shots to the body and a fierce elbow in the final moments of the fight, he retained the upper hand.
Ultimately, the win was undeniable: Over the course of the five-round bout, Muhammad dominated his opponent with nine successful takedowns, racking up a total of 12:02 minutes of control time. The judges scored the night's headline fight a unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) for Muhammad to claim the 170-pound division championship title.