Belal Muhammad rejects Leon Edwards rematch after UFC 304: 'Let him work his way back up'
Belal Muhammad won’t be doing any favors for Leon Edwards after taking his title at UFC 304.
After the first fight between them ended in March 2021 ended in a no contest due to an accidentally eye poke from Edwards (21-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC), the rematch on Saturday in Manchester, England, ended very differently, with Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) capturing the welterweight champion by unanimous decision.
It was a tough slog for Muhammad, 36, to get his chance to end the narratives that he was en route to losing the first meeting before the foul halted the fight, but he took advantage when the opportunity came and got hold of the strap.
UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the idea of running back the matchup following UFC 304. Muhammad is in full agreement that it makes no sense, and “Rocky” is going to have to rack up some victories if he ever wants redemption of his own.
“I’ll give him a rematch in three years,” Edwards told reporters at the UFC 304 post-fight news conference. “Let him work his way back up. I think it was a dominant fight – there’s really no need for a rematch. And I don’t think he had that long reign of a champion where he’s entitled to a rematch. For me, I came to his hometown in front of his people, in enemy territory. It was all a layup for him. But I blocked it.”
Despite pushing Edwards to the wayside, Muhammad make it clear he does not intend to be a champion who picks his fights. He top goal is to build a legacy that surpasses that of the divisional GOAT, George St-Pierre, and to do that he wants to take out everyone who is perceived as a threat to his reign.
“I had to get Dana White for the opportunity – he promised I would get it and he stuck to his word,” Muhammad said. “He gave me this opportunity, so for me now it’s showing the UFC, showing Dana White and all them that I can be the best champion you have. The champion who fights all these guys.
“I want to be a champion like the reign of (Alexander) Volkanovski and (Israel) Adesanya where they looked at the next guy in line like, ‘Let me beat this guy.’ We never ducked anybody. We’re never ducking anybody. Point them out.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.