Belal Muhammad Crowns Himself Champion at UFC 304

Muhammad overwhelmed Leon Edwards in their welterweight title bout

Belal Muhammad lived up to his word.

Muhammad said he would dominate Leon Edwards, vowing that he would win the UFC welterweight championship.

That is exactly what happened, as Muhammad used his wrestling to control the bout–and landed his jab effectively throughout the fight in a unanimous decision victory over Edwards in the main event of UFC 304.

10 IN A ROW FOR @BullyB170 🚨

Belal Muhammad in the new KING 🏆#UFC304 pic.twitter.com/4Ne8E7qYfM

— UFC (@ufc) July 28, 2024

Edwards (22-4, 1 NC) entered the fight having won last 12 decisions, but Muhammad was able to dictate the pace in four out of the five rounds. With the victory, Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) increases his own streak, as he has now won his last 10 decisions.

There is no questioning the judges’ scorecards. This bout belonged to Muhammad from the beginning.

The bigger shots in the first were landed by Edwards, but the story of the first five minutes was the ease with which Muhammad changed levels and delivered his two takedowns. Muhammad mauled Edwards in the second round, forcing him backwards for the entire round–and increasing his takedown total to six.

Muhammed used his jab to keep Edwards moving backwards / Zuffa LLC

Muhammad’s pressure continued in the third round, landing his seventh takedown. Edwards finally showed some life with a quick reversal, nearly locking in a triangle choke. It was a beautiful sequence of grappling from the champ, jumping ahead of Muhammad’s control time, and soundly winning the round.

Round three started off with action from Edwards, who went for a leg kick, which was followed up by a strong combination from Muhammad. The action came to a halt when Muhammad walked Edwards into the fence and landed another takedown, reasserting himself on the ground. With 30 seconds remaining, Edwards was able to reverse position, but he wasn’t able to do much in that time. Despite that reversal, that round belonged to Muhammad.

In the fifth, Muhammad stuck with a game plan that worked well. He pushed Edwards to the fence, then landed another takedown. This was the ninth takedown on his thirteenth attempt, and for three minutes, he looked to have this fight won. But Edwards reversed the position, bloodying Muhammad with a vicious set of late elbows.

Edwards looked a step behind all night fighting off his back foot. His response to this bout will be fascinating, and it will be telling whether he gets an immediate rematch–or if a decline begins.

Muhammad quieted all his doubters with a career-defining championship win. He won the wrestling, the striking, and the jiu jitsu, pressuring Edwards and limited his space to operate. After an extraordinarily difficult road to get here, the welterweight division now belongs solely to Muhammad.