One PPV main event, one dominant victory. First title bout, first title bout victory. Belal Muhammad extended his undefeated run on Sunday morning to an impressive 11, with the only blip on that record coming as a result of an eye poke to Leon Edwards back in 2021. Their original bout was deemed a no contest and Muhammad clearly had something to prove in Manchester at UFC 304.
Putting together a five fight winning run, including three wins over former title challengers, Remember the Name was more than ready and deserving of a title shot. That shot came in the UFC 304 main event and saw him step into enemy territory to rematch Leon Rocky Edwards. The underdog heading into the bout, Muhammad made all the book-makers pay with an outstanding performance to capture gold and become the 14th welterweight champion in UFC history.
10 IN A ROW FOR @BullyB170 🚨
Belal Muhammad in the new KING 🏆#UFC304 pic.twitter.com/4Ne8E7qYfM
— UFC (@ufc) July 28, 2024
The Fight Itself
From minute one the game plan of Belal Muhammad was obvious. Get in the face of Edwards and don’t give him any space. Swarm his attacks, make his feints ineffective and look to overwhelm the Brit with pressure and volume of strikes. He looked to, as always mix in the wrestling and work his mauling ground game.
That’s the game plan and Muhammad executed it perfectly. His overwhelming pressure saw him land 192/281 total strikes and 68/121 significant strikes. He looked slick on the feet, with quick hands and well timed shots in the boxing range. He picked his shots excellently and punished the defence of Edwards.
As expected, the Chicago native also wrestled throughout the fight, notching 9/12 takedowns and a total of 12:02 control time over 25 minutes.
The new welterweight king cruised to a unanimous decision victory with scores of 47-48, 47-48 and 46-49. The result was inevitable following the final bell, Edwards knew it, Muhammad knew it and so did the world.
The NEW welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad.
