The much-awaited Belal Muhammad vs. Leon Edwards fight will take place at UFC 304 inside the Co-op Live in Manchester. It would be the second time both fighters will lock horns in a welterweight contest. However, this time the UFC welterweight title is on the line. The last time both fought each other it ended in the most disastrous way possible.
The first time the pair came against each other it was UFC Vegas 21 which ended in a no contest. In the second round of the fight, Belal Muhammad suffered an eye poke during one of Edwards’s strikes. Muhammad immediately dropped to the canvas and started screaming in pain. According to the fighter, he thought he lost his vision.
I literally thought I was blind. I was like my vision is all gone. I didn’t care about being blind. My biggest thing was I just lost my opportunity.
Belal Muhammad via UFC Countdown Show
Going into the bout, Muhammad was on a four-fight win streak and a win could have potentially put him in title contention. However, he didn’t expect the fight to end with an eye poke. ‘Remember The Name’ called Edwards a coward for not running it back immediately and accused him of ducking. On the other hand, Edwards had a different opinion on the eye poke incident.
The way he was crying out it looked like I actually went for his eyeball but I didn’t. It kinda went like just under his lid.
Leon Edwards via UFC Countdown Show
According to ‘Rocky’, he dominated the fight from the start and had a crisp strike until Muhammad suffered the eye poke. Edwards claimed that Muhammad was scared of losing and took the easy way out. Unsurprisingly, Edwards isn’t the only one who thinks the same.
Leon Edwards’s coach accuses Belal Muhammad of faking the eye poke in the first fight
The first fight against Leon Edwards was the first main event bout for Belal Muhammad which ended in an eye poke. The fighter was extremely disappointed and later updated fans about his injury. According to the fighter, there was no permanent damage to his eyes and he immediately called out for a rematch.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad (via X)
However, Leon Edwards‘ team thought the whole thing was a facade and Muhammad faked the injury. In an interview with talkSPORT MMA, Edwards head coach Dave Lovell talked about the incident from his perspective. Edwards connected some great shots in the first round and was looking good. According to Lovell, Muhammad wanted a way out and put on an act.
If the eye poke never happened, I believe Leon would’ve finished in the second round. To me… Belal was looking for a way out, he was looking to steal a decision. The eye poke, and the noise he made literally crying and screaming… it’s funny that he didn’t have to go to hospital, he didn’t have any eye damage. So what does that tell you.
Dave Lovell via talkSPORT MMA
Leon Edwards’ head coach, Dave Lovell, says that Belal Muhammad was trying to ‘steal a decision’ and was ‘looking for a way out’ of their first fight after the eye poke 😳
“If the eye poke never happened, I believe Leon would’ve finished [Belal] in the second round.
To me…… pic.twitter.com/xmOGS4EQly
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 23, 2024
Going into the rematch, the bad blood between both the fighters is quite visible. Muhammad has frequently mocked Edwards on social media platforms to get a reaction. On the other hand, the Brit is waiting to get inside the octagon and finish Muhammad as soon as possible. Nevertheless, the whole fight card is stacked and the English fans are eagerly waiting for the fight night.
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