Against all odds, Belal Muhammad became the new UFC welterweight champion by beating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Ahead of the bout, Muhammad talked about getting help from lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, the ‘Eagle’ doesn’t want to take anything away from Muhammad’s achievements.
Nurmagomedov has been training Muhammad for a long time and helped him create a game plan against Edwards. At UFC 304, he outclassed his opponent everywhere. Dana White was quite impressed by it and praised Khabib Nurmagomedov for upgrading Muhammad’s game. However, the ‘Eagle,’ being the humble legend he is, credited Muhammad’s coaches for his success.
Belal trained with his coaches, he has very high-class coaches, I just helped him in small things. All credit goes to his coaches and Belal’s heart
Khabib Nurmagomedov via Instagram story
At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad needed to outpoint a very durable Leon Edwards. The British fighter handled the wrestling and striking very well against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. However, Muhammad manhandled the defending champion and slammed him to the canvas. Muhammad’s relentless pressure was somewhat similar to prime Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Belal Muhammad defeating Leon Edwards at #UFC304 🤝
“Belal trained with his coaches, he has very high-class coaches, I just helped him in small things. All credit goes to his coaches and Belal’s heart.”
(via. IG / @TeamKhabib) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/3b741r4kJU
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 28, 2024
Ahead of the fight, Leon Edwards was extremely confident about his chances of winning the fight. However, the British welterweight underperformed and mentioned that he didn’t feel right during the fight. Throughout the fight week, Edwards underestimated Muhammad and his skills and finally paid the price.
Belal Muhammad proves his coaches right at UFC 304
Before UFC 304, Belal Muhammad was predominantly known as an endurance fighter with negligible striking. However, the fighter’s coach, Horacio Gutierrez, claimed that Muhammad had evolved his striking and compared him with Canelo Alvarez. Many, including Leon Edwards, didn’t believe him and went on to mock the comments.
Belal Muhammad outstruck Leon Edwards at UFC 304 (via X)
However, Muhammad shut down all his haters, put on a striking masterclass, and had more significant strikes than Edwards at UFC 304. His jabs were accurate and helped him maintain the distance and outpoint a striker like Edwards. During the post-fight press conference, Muhammad made sure to rub it into his critics and give his coaches proper credit.
You heard my coach Haracio talking about how I got that Canelo boxing…you saw that jab. It was smacking him the whole time.
Belal Muhammad via UFC 304 post-fight press conference
Muhammad managed to impress many others who didn’t think he would take home the win. With the victory, he became the first-ever Palestinian champion in UFC history at the age of 35 years old. He also managed to shut down Manchester as fans blocked the road to celebrate the historic victory of Muhammad.
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