This weekend Leon Edwards is returning to the Octagon for the first time since July 2019 where he is fighting Belal Muhammad, at the main event of a UFC fight night event.
Embed from Getty ImagesGoing into the fight Leon Edwards is the currently ranked the number three Welterweight in the UFC. Its been a tough year for Edwards as he has had a lot of fights cancelled due to COVID-19. He was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley but it was the first UFC event to be cancelled due to COVID-19.
Then he was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev but both fighters got COVID-19 which meant the fight got delayed twice. This means when he fights on the 12 March 2021 it would have been 20 months since his last fight.
In Leon Edwards’s last fight he defeated former UFC Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision. Edwards has won all of his last eight fights and has not lost a fight since fighting the current UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Belal Muhammad is coming into the fight on a four fight win streak. In his most recent victory, Muhammad defeated Dhiego Lima via unanimous decision.
Muhammad is currently ranked 13th in the UFC Welterweight division so victory this weekend would be huge for the American as Edwards is ranked number three in the Welterweight division.
In a interview Muhammad said “This is my title fight”, which means he sees this as a huge opportunity and make a name for himself. Victory for Muhammad could improve his chances in getting a UFC title fight.
Muhammad’s last fight was less than a month ago where he defeated Dhiego Lima via unanimous decision.
Embed from Getty ImagesMuhammad in his last fight.
Both fighters are very good grapplers, however Edwards is seen as the better striker. This is due to Edwards being taller and having a longer reach. However, Muhammad has fought recently where Edwards has been out the Octagon for over 20 months. The British fighter may suffer from ring rust due to the long period of inactivity he has experience.
However it is very exciting to know Edwards will be back in the Octagon against a very strong opponent in Muhammad.
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