Belal Muhammad reacts after his victory against Leon EdwardsChris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
In the end, Belal Muhammad did exactly what he said he would at UFC 304.
The Palestinian-American welterweight returned to action in the main event of the Saturday card in Manchester, England — which kicked off at an ungodly 3:00 a.m. local time — challenging British champion Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title on enemy soil.
Heading into the fight, Muhammad was unendingly confident. Over and over, he told us how he would beat Edwards, even revealing specific details of his game plan, but almost nobody took it seriously. The Chicago-based welterweight, who had won 10 straight fights ahead of his trip to Manchester, entered as a big underdog with the confidence of only his team and his most dedicated fans.
All of his doubters were wrong. I was wrong.
While Edwards had his moments in the fight, Muhammad was in control of nearly all of the 25 allotted minutes, not only having success with his wrestling — as some believed he could — but banging his foe up on the feet, which few expected.
By the time the five-round fight was over, he had landed 192 of 281 attempted strikes, succeeded on nine of 13 attempted takedowns, and used those takedowns to rack up 12:02 of control — a clear recipe for a unanimous decision win.
By the time the belt was being wrapped around his waist, all the British crowd could do was boo.
“I see you guys with watery eyes right now,” he said, acknowledging that he had spoiled the night — or the morning — for the fans in attendance.
Muhammad’s win over Edwards will go down as one of the biggest upsets of 2024 — particularly given that Edwards seemed to be dominating him until their first fight, in 2021, ended with an eye poke.
The new champion’s future, however, is unclear.
Having just fought, and seemingly sustained minimal injuries, there’s a good chance he’ll have to defend his belt before the year is out, but it’s difficult to say who his opponent will be.
There are a ton of options.
Edwards, who had defended the title twice before rematching Muhammad, could be afforded an opportunity for a rematch, particularly given the early success he had in their 2021 no-contest.
The former champ, for his part, seems to want the chance.
“My body felt tired,” he said after the early-morning loss, laying out plans to fight again before the year’s out. “We’ll get it back again.”
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
More likely than Muhammad vs. Edwards III, however, is that the new champ will end up defending his welterweight title against one of the many dangerous contenders near the top of the weight class: namely, Kazakhstan’s Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ireland’s Ian Garry, and Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena.
All of those men have a fair shot at beating the new champ — and most would likely enter the Octagon with him as betting favorites. Rakhmonov and Garry are unbeaten at 19-0 and 12-0 apiece. Della Maddalena has lost twice, but has won 17 straight, including a recent stoppage of former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Shavkat Rakhmonov. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
With such ferocious contenders at the top of the welterweight division, the title may change hands often over the next year or two, but Muhammad is confident in his reign.
“I’m no Khabib [Nurmagomedov], I’m no GSP (Georges St-Pierre,)” he said after his title win, comparing himself to other MMA greats. “I’m my own man. Now the world knows it and the world sees it.”
While it remains to be seen who will Muhammad will fight next, and how long he will hang onto the belt, one thing is clear: We all need to pick up our forks, put our napkins on our laps, and eat some crow.
Almost nobody believed Muhammad could beat Edwards, and he didn’t just beat the champ, but did it decisively, behind enemy lines, at a time of day when almost nobody was awake.
His nickname, for most of his career, has been “Remember the Name.” When coupled with his unabashed confidence heading into his first UFC title bid, that nickname made him a bit of a laughing stock.
Most people thought he would go down as a good but not great welterweight who would never get his hands on a UFC belt.
After UFC 304, we’ll all remember his name.
