Belal Muhammad boxed brilliantly, utilised suffocating pressure and recorded a new career-high takedown count to overwhelm Leon Edwards and snatch UFC welterweight gold from the Birmingham resident on an exceedingly late Manchester night to cap a busy PPV card. Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and rising lightweight Paddy Pimblett logged first-round finishes prior.
Belal bursts the bubble in Edwards’ homecoming
48-47, 48-47, 49-46: Belal Muhammad bt. Leon Edwards via UD5, becomes new UFC welterweight champion
- Vindication! “I’ve got the best team in the world, we study to the core, I’m working with the best strikers in the world – they said I’m not Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or GSP [Georges Saint-Pierre], they’re gonna start respecting me,” Muhammad says in post-fight interview as he namechecks Chilean lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes and his nutritionist Ian Larios
- Edwards confirms he wants to fight again before 2024 ends after underwhelming display in third title defence: “November or December and I’ll be ready to go again, my body just felt tired all week, I don’t know.”
BELAL Muhammad took Leon Edwards down almost straight from the off with blistering ease and that visual, lifting him mid-air without breaking sweat or having to jostle for position, rather told the story as the 36-year-old stunned the Manchester crowd into an anticlimax after two first-round finishes for fan favourites beforehand.
In fairness to the now-former champion, who revealed he had been feeling tired during fight week, this was an increasingly jaded showing yet he defended well in stages and responded to this initial threat by adjusting before breaking the clinch, firing off body work as the pair were engaged in a stand-up battle.
Given his stand-up prowess you’d normally expect the home favourite to control those exchanges but like most categories over 25 minutes, he only had limited success in kickboxing range too. Muhammad didn’t allow him much opportunity to maintain free-flowing rhythm and this relentless intensity wouldn’t wane either.
A nice one-two caught Muhammad flush on the chin, as an uppercut and body kick did the trick. Muhammad in response? Flicked out his jab and level changed for another timely takedown just before round one ended, an encouraging start for the challenger which would only blossom further in an assertive second.
He spiked Edwards on his head with a high crotch takedown, continued logging control time and pressing the issue to minimise space between them as Edwards scrambled for answers. The only decent part in the second stanza came in the final half-minute, stealing some of Muhammad’s momentum with an adaptive takedown.
The same could be said early in the third too, Rocky chants came as the champion held a body triangle while threatening choke attempts – a crossface and rear-naked – showcasing his grappling skills to stem the tide from Belal’s brilliant start.
“This is where you bite down now,” Edwards’ head coach Dave Lovell barked before the fourth as they went into the championship rounds.
Muhammad might’ve been momentarily wobbled by a shot but that didn’t deter him, unloading with high output, pinging jabs potently and connecting on one-two combinations before a new career-high eighth takedown arrived.
More control time, pressure and overwhelming grappling was key as Muhammad masterfully put the finishing touches on an impressive showing – one where Edwards’ hail-mary elbow bloodying him in the final minute wasn’t enough to stop a new champion being deservedly crowned. Perhaps now, you’ll remember the name.
Aspinall makes another startling statement
- Jon Jones next for full heavyweight honours? ASPINALL: “I’ve got nothing against you Jon, just think I’m better and know I can show it. I’m a normal person from a normal family in a normal area, sometimes normal people can do extraordinary things – like me – just work hard and fucking go for it.”
- Current champion Jones set to face former two-time champion Stipe Miocic in rescheduled matchup on return from torn pectoral muscle injury later this year, November 9 the reported date but remains unconfirmed
Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall successfully defended his strap and needed just 60 seconds to dispatch Curtis Blaydes during their rematch, two years to the month after a freak knee injury saw him crumble to the canvas in agony.
The Salford-born jiu-jitsu black belt absorbed a right hand and reset himself early before doing so, much like against Sergei Pavlovich in New York last November, but stayed composed and was clinical when his fast hands connected on a challenger who couldn’t protest referee Marc Goddard’s timing after being rained down with strikes as an overhand right scrambled the longtime contender’s senses.
Aspinall declared himself the promotion’s best finisher and after eight UFC wins, he has seven first-round stoppage victories. It’s hard to argue when his resume is this good, and the confidence surging through him builds at a rate many didn’t expect when he debuted against Jake Collier in Dubai four years ago this month.
Paddy Pimblett scored a first-round submission win (triangle choke) over Bobby Green and the Scouser – fresh from signing a new multi-fight contract – will have a top-15 ranking next to his name at 155lbs next week after a career-best victory over the seasoned veteran – suffering his first submission defeat since December 2009 on a night where he couldn’t get going fast enough and was duly punished.
Heavy-handed middleweight hopeful Gregory Rodrigues was a clear winner against Christian Leroy Duncan, although it wasn’t exactly the greatest watch with plenty of clinching and stop-start action rather than the slugfest many irritable fans were expecting given Robocop‘s punch power and desire for a ranked 185lb opponent.
To kick off the main card after 3am local time, Ipswich featherweight Arnold Allen earned a much-needed UD3 win (29-28 x 3) over longtime contender Giga Chikadze to defend his #6 ranking after consecutive defeats by Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev have predictably seen the 30-year-old’s stock drop rather rapidly at 145lbs.
Full card results
Prelims
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood bt. Daniel Pineda via UD3 (29-27 x 2, 29-28)
Women’s strawweight: Bruna Brasil bt. Molly McCann via UD3 (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Catchweight (137lbs): Jake Hadley bt. Caolan Loughran via UD3 (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev bt. Manel Kape via UD3 (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
Early prelims
Welterweight: Oban Elliott bt. Preston Parsons via UD3 (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
Light-heavyweight: Modestas Bukauskas bt. Marcin Prachnio via R3 submission (arm-triangle choke, 3:12)
Welter: Sam Patterson bt. Kiefer Crosbie via R1 submission (arm-triangle choke, 2:50)
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin bt. Lukasz Brzeski via R1 KO (punches, 3:23)
Women’s strawweight: Shauna Bannon bt. Alice Ardelean via split (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Picture source: Getty Images
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