UFC 304: Be wide awake Belal Muhammad’s Name After Title-Battle Retract vs. Leon Edwards
Belal Muhammad reacts after his victory against Leon EdwardsChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Photos
Finally, Belal Muhammad did precisely what he mentioned he would at UFC 304.
The Palestinian-American welterweight returned to action within the main occasion of the Saturday card in Manchester, England — which kicked off at an ungodly 3: 00 a.m. native time — hard British champion Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title on enemy soil.
Heading into the fight, Muhammad was unendingly assured. Over and over, he informed us how he would beat Edwards, even revealing particular diminutive print of his sport procedure, but nearly no one took it critically. The Chicago-basically based mostly welterweight, who had won 10 straight fights before his day out to Manchester, entered as a colossal underdog with the boldness of most effective his personnel and his most devoted followers.
All of his doubters had been infamous. I used to be infamous.
While Edwards had his moments within the fight, Muhammad was as much as wander of nearly about the total 25 distributed minutes, now no longer most effective having success with his wrestling — as some believed he could per chance additionally — but banging his foe up on the feet, which few expected.
By the level the five-spherical fight was over, he had landed 192 of 281 tried strikes, succeeded on 9 of 13 tried takedowns, and feeble those takedowns to rack up 12: 02 of control — a undeniable recipe for a unanimous decision remove.
By the level the belt was being wrapped spherical his waist, the full British crowd could per chance additionally enact was boo.
“I seek you guys with watery eyes merely now,” he mentioned, acknowledging that he had depraved the evening — or the morning — for the followers in attendance.
Muhammad’s remove over Edwards will breeze down as one of the largest upsets of 2024 — particularly provided that Edwards looked as if it might maybe per chance be dominating him till their first fight, in 2021, ended with an peer jog.
The fresh champion’s future, on the other hand, is unclear.
Having appropriate fought, and apparently sustained minimal accidents, there might be a sexy likelihood he’ll occupy to defend his belt sooner than the 365 days is out, but it undoubtedly’s hard to disclose who his opponent will likely be.
There are a ton of choices.
Edwards, who had defended the title twice sooner than rematching Muhammad, could per chance additionally merely be afforded a possibility for a rematch, particularly given the early success he had of their 2021 no-contest.
The ragged champ, for his piece, appears to need the likelihood.
“My physique felt tired,” he mentioned after the early-morning loss, laying out plans to fight all over again sooner than the 365 days’s out. “We’ll salvage it motivate all over again.”
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Photos
More likely than Muhammad vs. Edwards III, on the other hand, is that the fresh champ will find yourself defending his welterweight title against one of the a form of perilous contenders discontinuance to the head of the weight class: namely, Kazakhstan’s Shavkat Rakhmonov, Eire’s Ian Garry, and Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena.
All of those males occupy a sexy shot at beating the fresh champ — and most would likely enter the Octagon with him as having a wager favorites. Rakhmonov and Garry are unbeaten at 19-0 and 12-0 apiece. Della Maddalena has misplaced twice, but has won 17 straight, at the side of a fresh stoppage of ragged title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Shavkat Rakhmonov. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Photos
With such ferocious contenders on the head of the welterweight division, the title could per chance additionally merely alternate fingers most incessantly over the subsequent 365 days or two, but Muhammad is assured in his reign.
“I am no Khabib [Nurmagomedov], I am no GSP (Georges St-Pierre,)” he mentioned after his title remove, evaluating himself to a form of MMA greats. “I am my comprise man. Now the sphere knows it and the sphere sees it.”
While it remains to be seen who will Muhammad will fight subsequent, and how long he’ll hang onto the belt, one disclose is definite: We all must seize up our forks, put our napkins on our laps, and indulge in some crow.
Nearly no one believed Muhammad could per chance additionally beat Edwards, and he did no longer appropriate beat the champ, but did it decisively, dreary enemy traces, at a time of day when nearly no one was unsleeping.
His nickname, for most of his profession, has been “Be wide awake the Name.” When coupled with his unabashed self belief heading into his first UFC title roar, that nickname made him unbiased a little of a laughing stock.
Most folk idea he would breeze down as a sexy but now no longer huge welterweight who would by no scheme salvage his fingers on a UFC belt.
After UFC 304, we are going to all consider his title.