UFC 300: Champ Reveals Title Fight on the Books for Major Event

UFC 300's first title fight could be official.

Leon Edwards claims he will be defending his UFC welterweight title at UFC 300 in Las Vegas on April 13.

Edwards appeared at Villa Park on December 30, where he told reporters, including the Daily Mail, that he plans to defend his title at the UFC's landmark event:

"I will defend my belt in April at UFC 300... Then hopefully in the Summertime [I'll] get a fight back home in Birmingham," Edwards announced.

"I'm in talks with the UFC, so hopefully we can get it done."

The frontrunner for Edwards' third title defense is #2 ranked* contender Belal Muhammad. *Beneath Kamaru Usman who last competed at middleweight.

Though, according to journalist Ariel Helwani, #3 Shavkat Rakhmonov was also considered:

As he mentioned yesterday, the plan is for Leon Edwards to defend his title at UFC 300. As of now, the opponent slated to face him would be Belal Muhammad. Shavkat Rakhmonov definitely was in the mix, too.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 31, 2023

"The plan is for Leon Edwards to defend his title at UFC 300. As of now, the opponent slated to face him would be Belal Muhammad. Shavkat Rakhmonov definitely was in the mix, too."

Although Rakhmonov is the fresher and more exciting matchup, Muhammad has earned his shot in the eyes of many fans and pundits.

"Remember The Name" is 9-0-0 (1NC) in his last 10 outings, with the No-Contest being an eye-poke against Edwards back in 2021. Since then, Muhammad has looked flawless in five appearances, derailing the hype behind Sean Brady and Vicente Luque in the process.

Muhammad has been calling for his shot for the better part of two years, remarking that the champion "should be afraid" of his eventual rematch. In response, Edwards roasted Muhammad as the "least intimidating" fighter in the UFC.

It is not known whether Edwards' fight will headline UFC 300 or sit lower on the card. As per UFC CEO Dana White, the card is geared to make fans "lose their minds."

"You wanna build these amazing cards to make people lose their minds," White told TNT Sports. "What you can expect is the first prelim of the night, you’re going to go ‘Holy s***! This is the first prelim of the night, this is insane, this isn’t even right. These two shouldn't be on the first prelim on the night.' That is how good 300 is going to be."

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