Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad 2 Preview & Picks
Leon Edwards is tipped to retain his welterweight title by decision.
Edwards’ mix of accurate striking and great grappling propelled him to the top and can keep him there.
- Leon Edwards is unbeaten in his last 13 fights
- 8 of Leon Edwards’ last 10 victories have been by decision
- 12 of Belal Muhammad’s last 15 fights have gone the distance
- Leon Edwards has 53% striking accuracy (Muhammad 43%)
- Leon Edwards has a 70% takedown defense
Head To Head
- The two fighters went to a No Contest when the two men last met in March 2021
Leon Edwards Form
Leon Edwards is the defending UFC welterweight champion with a career record of 22-3 (7 KOs, 3 Subs) and 1 No Contest.
Edwards debuted in the UFC back in 2014 and made a mixed start as he lost two of his first four fights.
However, ‘Rocky’ has been on a tear since his unanimous decision defeat to Kamaru Usman back in December 2015, going unbeaten in 13 consecutive fights.
He started the run with a points win over Dominic Waters, and followed that up with a submission success against Albert Tumenov.
From there Edwards earned unanimous decision wins over Vicente Luque and Bryan Barberena, before knocking out Peter Sobotta in March 2018.
The 32-year-old then bested Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos on points, before seeing his bout with Belal Muhammad go to a No Contest after an accidental eye poke.
Edwards put that behind him with a unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz in June 2021, earning him a shot at the welterweight title.
He shocked the world by knocking out Kamaru Usman in the final minute of the fifth round to claim the 170lb crown.
The Birmingham-based fighter than claimed a majority decision over Usman in the rematch, before earning a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington in his second defence last December.
Belal Muhammad Form
Belal Muhammad is the #2 ranked welterweight contender with a professional record of 23-3 (5 KOs, 1 Sub) with 1 No Contest.
Muhammed debuted in the UFC in July 2016 and got off to a slow start as he lost two of his first three fights for the promotion.
He rebounded with a four-fight win streak, only for that to end with a unanimous decision defeat to Geoff Neal in January 2019.
The 35-year-old American bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Curtis Milender, and then submitted Takashi Sato before beating Lyman Good and Dhiego Lima on points.
Muhammad’s win streak was ended by a No Contest in March 2021, when an accidental eye poke against Leon Edwards left him unable to continue, but he has rebounded with five straight wins.
He got back in the win column with a unanimous decision win over Demian Maia, and then claimed a points victories over Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque.
Those wins were followed by a second-round knockout of Sean Brady in October 2022 – his first TKO victory since September 2016.
Muhammad then took his win streak to five fights in his only outing of 2023, beating Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision.