Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 is the main event on the next pay-per-view card at UFC 304. The venue is the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, where Leon Edwards is defending his UFC welterweight belt in front of his home crowd. We tell you if he will win again in our UFC betting picks.
Originating from Kingston, Jamaica, Leon Edwards now fights out of Birmingham, England. On July 27th, Edwards will make the short trip up the M6 to Manchester to face Belal Muhammad of America, with the Brits UFC Welterweight title on the line.
Edwards has already successfully defended his title in the UK. In March 2023, he defeated Kamaru Usman by majority decision in his first defense at the O2 Arena in London. The fight was a rematch, after Edwards took the title from Usman in August 2022, at UFC 278.
Since then, Edwards has defended his title against Colby Covington in a highly emotional event in Las Vegas last December. Headlining UFC 296, Edwards defeated the controversial American by unanimous decision.
The fight with Muhammad is also a rematch. The pair first met in 2021, with the fight ending in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke left Muhammad unable to fight on.
Muhammad has had to wait over three years to finally get another go at defeating Edwards. But the American fighter won’t just have Edwards to overcome. He will also be up against a partisan British crowd, making his job far more difficult in his first attempt at winning a world title.
What chance are the UFC betting sites giving Belal Muhammad of beating Leon Edwards in the UK?
Well, they are not writing off the American, as Belal Muhammad is +170 to defeat Leon Edwards on the money line. The latest UFC Vegas betting odds have Leon Edwards as the favorite at -200.
On the totals spread, the fight is -187 to go over 4.5 rounds and +150 to finish in under 4.5 rounds. In the props, the fight is -175 to go the distance and +125 to end early.
More Edwards vs. Muhammad betting options from different bookmakers are available on our UFC odds table. All our odds are from the best sites for UFC betting.
Leon Edwards has a career MMA record of 22-3-0-1. In the UFC, Edwards has fought 17 times, winning 14, and losing two, with one no contest.
The current holder of the UFC Welterweight title, Edwards is unbeaten in his last 13 fights. His last career loss came at the hands of his old rival, Kamaru Usman, back in December 2015. On that occasion, Usman defeated Edwards by unanimous decision.
Edwards is 32 and looks to be in the prime of his career. He has no obvious weaknesses. Furthermore, he seems to be getting better, constantly improving in every department.
The Birmingham-based Brit is a durable fighter. He is well able to go the full five rounds, wearing his opponents down. His overall career record shows that 12 of his 22 wins have come by decision. But he also has seven KO wins and three submission victories, highlighting his all-around fighting ability.
Belal Muhammad boasts an almost identical record to his opponent of 23-3-0-1.
At 35, the Chicago-born Muhammad is three years older than Edwards. But also like Edwards, Muhammad is on an impressive unbeaten run. The last time the American lost was against Geoff Neal in January 2019. Muhammad is ten fights unbeaten since that Fight Night loss.
One of the main strengths of Belal Muhammad is his fighting IQ. Unlike some, who fight to their own strengths, Muhammad can size up his opponents and take the fight to their weaknesses. His other main strengths are his wrestling skills and the pressure he can exert over his opponents.
Overall in his career, 17 of his 23 wins have come by decision, five by knockout, and one by submission.
Two of his three losses were by decision, the other by KO. The KO defeat to Vicente Luque in 2016 is the only time Muhammad has been stopped in his career.
Edwards vs Muhammad is a meeting of two very similar styles. Expect the fight to be attritional. A lot of time will be spent on the floor, with the stronger man likely to get the decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Since their first meeting, Edwards has gone up a level. The champion has fought some of the biggest names in the UFC and has come through every challenge put in front of him.
Muhammad does have it in him to win. He has shorter odds to win this fight than he had in the first contest. He is the No.2 ranked Welterweight in the UFC and has – like Edwards – vastly improved since the two first fought.
The problem with Muhammad is that Edwards is just that level above the challenger. We say the fight will be close. But we say the champion will defend his title in front of his home support.
Leon Edwards to win – probably by decision – is our betting pick to win at UFC 304.
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