LEON EDWARDS and Belal Muhammad took part in a heated staredown just days before their eagerly-anticipated rematch and had to be separated by Dana White.
The pair renew their rivalry early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester.
Edwards and Muhammad’s first meeting, which took place in Las Vegas over three years ago, ended in a No-Contest due to an accidental eye poke from the former.
Muhammad, 36, has been hellbent on exacting his revenge on the Brit ever since that fateful night in Sin City.
And tensions were high between the pair – who had an awkward encounter in the lift at the fighter hotel earlier this week – during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference at the Co-op Live Arena.
Verbal jabs were thrown before they took part in a heated staredown in front of a raucous Manchester crowd.
Muhammad ramped things up my mimicking a gun shot to Edwards’ head before the Brit tried to make him flinch.
UFC president and CEO White and security, however, were on hand to prevent things from escalating.
Edwards, the UK’s second champion in MMA‘s top promotion, almost finished Muhammad with a vicious barrage of strikes in the first round after rocking him with a head kick.
‘Rocky’ firmly believes the fight would’ve ended with him being victorious had he not poked Muhammad’s right eye.
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And Muhammad told SunSport: “I’m hoping he comes out with that same mentality. “I’m hoping that he thinks that it’s gonna be an easy fight.
“Even with that first fight, when you’re going back and you’re watching it, he had one moment. It was a head kick.
“There was nothing else in that first round where you’re looking at like, ‘Oh, this is a 10-8 round.’
“It was still a 10- 9 round on the judges’ scorecard. He outstruck me by like six strikes. And in general, I’m a guy that picks up the pace.
“And that was before, you know, Leon was off for two years before that. So for us, it was, ‘Let’s see what Leon comes out [with].
“‘Let’s see what Leon shows up today, what he’s gonna bring, what new style he brings.’
“So it was to start at a slow pace. So I’m hoping that he thinks that, ‘All right, we’re gonna go the same way.’
“And I’m even telling myself like, ‘I wanna go out here and lose this first round against Leon in this fight just to show him – all right, you won this first round now, watch what I do these next four.'”
