The UFC has a new welterweight champion after Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 304.
Muhammad brought a relentless pressure that was simply too much for Edwards to handle from the opening bell, overwhelming the champion to take the belt.
Muhammad immediately set the template for the fight, coming out in the opening seconds of the fight and immediately getting in Edwards’ face and forcing him onto the back foot. As Edwards’ back met the cage, Muhammad shifted from busy hands to a powerful double-leg takedown.
Edwards, as he was able to do throughout the fight, was able to survive on the ground and escape back to his feet, where he would find temporary success before being taken right back down to the canvas.
That pattern would repeat over and over throughout the fight, with Edwards’ usually sturdy takedown defense being cracked time and again by Muhammad’s relentless pressure, as well as Edwards’ own inability to break Muhammad’s grip and find space to strike.
Edwards’ best round came in Round 3, when he was the one to get the takedown and take back control. While Edwards fought to find a rear-naked choke, Muhammad defended and survived the round, going right back to his relentless game plan until the final bell.
Muhammad should also be given credit for effective striking that, while not always technically perfect, kept Edwards from ever settling when the two weren’t in a clinch or tangled on the ground.
After the conclusion of five rounds, the result was clear as Muhammad took the fight on scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 to become the new UFC welterweight champion.
Muhammad now holds a 24-3 record after the win on Sunday. He’s won 10 straight dating back to 2019, too, with the no-contest finish with Edwards in the middle of that stretch. Edwards dropped to 22-4 with the loss, which was his first since Kamaru Usman got him in 2015. Edwards entered the night coming off a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington in December.
Tom Aspinall came out hot in the co-main event and successfully defended his interim heavyweight championship belt with a massive first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall just barely missed a right-handed head shot after drilling Blaydes with his left, which sent Blaydes stumbling back to the mat. Aspinall then pounced and delivered a fury of head shots, which had the official calling the fight just one minute in.
The win avenged Aspinall’s loss to Blaydes from the last time they squared off in 2022. Blaydes beat Aspinall in that bout, though Aspinall went down with a leg injury just 15 seconds into that fight. Aspinall now holds a 15-3 record. He’s won three straight since his loss to Blaydes, and he entered the night fresh off a first-round win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 last fall. Blaydes dropped to 18-5 in his career, and he’s now lost two of his last three fights.
UFC 304 card, results
Belal Muhammad def. Leon Edwards (c) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Tom Aspinall (ic) def. Curtis Blaydes via first-round knockout (punch)
Paddy Pimblett def. King Green via first-round technical submission (triangle choke)
Gregory Rodrigues def. Christian Leroy Duncan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Arnold Allen def. Giga Chikadze via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nathaniel Wood def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-28)
Bruna Brasil def. Molly McCann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Caolan Loughran def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Oban Elliott def. Preston Parsons via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Modestas Bukauskas def. Marcin Prachnio via third-round submission (arm-triangle choke)
Sam Patterson def. Kiefer Crosbie via first-round submission (arm-triangle choke)
Mick Parkin def. Lukasz Brzeski via first-round knockout (punch)
Shauna Bannon def. Alice Ardelean via split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
By Agencies
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