In the early morning hours in Manchester, England, UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3, 1 NC UFC) clinched a new victory by unanimous decision against a formidable adversary Leon Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3, 1 NC UFC).
With this recognition in the octagon, Muhammad has not only brought glory to his home city of Chicago by being its first-born UFC champion, but also created history as the inaugural Palestinian-American titleholder in the UFC’s record books.
Present at the UFC 304 post-bout media gathering, UFC President Dana White seemingly exhibited a lack of enthusiasm towards a potential third fight for Muhammad and Edwards, maintaining a succinct stance on Muhammad’s display inside the octagon and the outlook for Edwards moving forward.
The match concluded the impressive 13-bout victorious streak maintained by Edwards since 2015. Edwards, attempting to safeguard his welterweight crown for the third time, was striving to become the premier fighter after Georges St.-Pierre to maintain a lengthy tenure as the welterweight champion. Yet, his aspirations fell short of realization.
During the later periods of the post-fight briefing, White articulated that the prospect of an instant rematch was not currently under consideration.
The ensuing proceedings for the UFC and its newly minted champion Muhammad remain nebulous, particularly regarding whether they will propel Muhammad into more high-profile bouts. This uncertainty partially stems from the UFC’s absence from Muhammad’s hometown of Chicago since mid-2019 and the repeated deferments of his chance for a title shot in light of other fighters like Colby Covington getting the nod despite a sequence of losses.
As of the latest press updates, with 15 UFC victories to his name, Muhammad has appended Edwards to an impressive composition of elite competitors and previous champions he has bested in the octagon.