MMA Preview: UFC 304 – Leon Edwards (22-3-0 1NC) vs Belal Muhammad (23-3-0 1 NC)

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The first Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad fight ended abruptly after Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye by accident, rendering him incapable of continuing. It happened in 2021, and since then, both fighters have won every single fight.

Belal won five fights in a row, while Edwards won four, getting ahold of the UFC Welterweight title along the way. It’s the championship belt that’s at stake in the UFC 304 main event, so expect both fighters to give their utmost on July 27.

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad Odds

MoneylineOdds
Leon Edwards-210
Belal Muhammad+180

Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday July 26, 2024

When, Where, and How to Watch?

Place: Co-op Live in Manchester, England

Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024

Time: ~10:00 p.m. ET

How to Watch: PPV

Leon Edwards is one of the best kickboxers in the UFC, who’s capable of landing precise strikes when he needs it the most. The best example of this is his KO win over Kamaru Usman in the title fight in 2022. He was losing the fight for more than 24 minutes, but then, he landed a head kick that put Usman to sleep. 

Apart from being an incredible striker, Edwards is also a great grappler, the proof of which is that he’s got a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

He’s also a fine wrestler, who lands 1.25 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also has a 70% TD defense which is something that can play an important role against wrestling master Belal.

Belal Muhammad hasn’t lost a single fight since 2019 when Geoff Neal beat him by decision. Since then, he’s won nine fights. Most of those wins happened after the final bell, but the fact is that he was the dominant force in all of those.

Belal’s strongest weapon is wrestling, which is why it’s no surprise that he likes to make a lot of TDs and beat up his opponents on the ground. What’s interesting though is that he didn’t land a single TD in each of his last two fights – vs. Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns. Instead, he showed his boxing prowess in those fights. This goes especially for the fight with Burns in which he landed 132 significant strikes – his highest total ever.

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