Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad will go toe to toe Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 21. Dana White is on record as saying if Edwards wins the fight, he’d be next in line for a world title shot against Kamaru Usman. For Belal Muhammad, a victory would mean a huge fight in his next outing. It’s going to be one for the ages.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad – UFC Vegas 21
Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards has a professional record of 18-3 and has a UFC record of 11-2. He riding a current eight-fight winning streak and his last defeat came at the hands of Kamaru Usman, way back in 2015. During his current run, he’s beat fighters like Rafael Dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone, and Vincent Luque among others. Edwards sometimes has a difficult time winning over the fans as five of his last six fights have gone the distance. That said he’s an excellent striker and a very good all-around fighter.
Belal Muhammad
Muhammad is criminally underrated as a fighter and despite winning eight of nine and four in a row is only ranked 13th in the UFC rankings. Muhammad is a grinder and can fight any style very well. He can strike, he can wrestle and he can play the submission game as well. He’s another fighter who goes the distance in a lot of his fights. On his current run, he’s defeated Dhiego Lima, Lyman Good, Takashi Sato, and Curtis Milender.
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Who wins and how?
This should be a fun fight. You might be thinking with two fighters prone to the distance, this one will too. I don’t think it does. It should go into the late rounds but what happens over the course of those rounds is what’s in question. Edwards holds an advantage in technical striking ability. Edwards will also have a three-inch reach advantage which could prove troublesome for Muhammad. Where the fight could be won for Edwards however is via his leg kicks. He has very good kicks, and it’s an aspect of his game he could well take advantage of. In the end, Edwards stings Muhammad with kicks and punches and earns the TKO late in the fight.
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