Just after 5 a.m. local time in Manchester, England, Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3, 1 NC UFC) outwrestled Leon Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3, 1 NC UFC) to win a unanimous decision to become the new UFC welterweight champion.
REMEMBER THE NAME 🏆@BullyB170 defeats Leon Edwards by unanimous decision to become the NEW welterweight champion of the world!
[ B2YB @ForThePeople | #UFC304 ] pic.twitter.com/ZqUpxv04Tl
— UFC (@ufc) July 28, 2024
The victory earned Muhammad the distinction of being the first Chicago-born UFC champion and the first-ever Palestinian-American champion in promotional history. With the exception of occasional trips to the Midwest, the UFC has been less concerned about it over the past few years.
Visibly disappointed at the UFC 304 post-fight presser, UFC CEO Dana White said he is not interested in a trilogy fight between Muhammad and Edwards, keeping his sentiments on Muhammad’s performance and Edwards’ future brief.
“Let him rest,” White told reporters.
The loss snapped a 13-fight winning streak for Edwards, dating back to 2015. Edwards was making his third defense of his welterweight title, attempting to become the first man since Georges St.-Pierre to continue a would-be extended welterweight title run. It didn’t happen.
“We’re not thinking immediate rematch,” White said later on in the session.
It remains unclear whether the UFC will push Muhammad into bigger fights, especially given the fact the promotion has not returned to Chicago since June 2019 and made him wait on several occasions for a title shot when names like Colby Covington, even on a losing skid, were picked to fight before Muhammad.
At press time, Muhammad now has 15 UFC wins and adds Edwards to a laundry list of top-flight contenders and former champions he has defeated.
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