It only took 9 wins in a row and a full year layoff, but Belal Muhammed finally has his title shot and its a rematch.
This is an interesting fight with a few interesting dynamics on paper. First off, its a rematch, Leon was winning the first fight before a bad eye poke that made it a no contest. But that was years ago and I think both have evolved since then. On paper Leon outwrestled Colby and make it look easy. In reality, yes, that happened, but Colby clearly did not fight his normal fight. On paper Belal just completely outstruck Gilbert Burns and defended all the takedowns. In reality, yes that happened but Gilbert was injured early in that fight. So in my opinion we really don't know how Leon will look against someone who will non-stop pressure forward with wrestling, we also don't know how Belal will look striking at a high level. I really want Belal to win here. I love how much the UFC was doing to keep him away from a title. I love that he was so hated that now he's loved. He is basically the Nickleback of MMA and I am here for it. Unfortunately, he never made it as a wise man, he couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing and I don't think he wins the belt. I think Leon will be too sharp on the feet and Muhammed will struggle to close distance for the takedowns.
Leon Edwards
Leon Edwards is a very well rounded fighter. He is primarily a striker with nice body kicks, nice boxing and now nice wrestling. He averages more than 1 takedown per fight and was able to take down Nate Diaz, Kamaru Usman and now Colby Coington. He's good everywhere and has great cardio with solid fight IQ. He is coming off the title defense over Colby Covington where he defended 8 of Colby's takedowns and defended 2 of his own.
Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad is a non stop wrestler who averages 2 takedowns per fight. He has solid fight IQ and knows when he should wrestle and when he should strike. He has a reputaton for being a boring fighter, but the reality is that he comes forward, puts on pressure and sticks to a gameplan. He has decent striking as well and while it may not win him fights at the highest level, it did win him his last 2 fights. He is coming off the decision win over Gilbert Burns a year ago where gilbert ble wout his shoulder going 0-4 in takedown attempts.
