Leon Edwards will finally be in the Octagon this Saturday. The 29-year-old Jamaican, a British national, has not fought since July 2019. A long time. Up to four fights were dropped between 2020 and 2021. One of them had this outcome three times. Chimaev, one of the company’s biggest prospects, awaited him. The Russian contracted Covid and its consequences have made him withdraw momentarily. They had to move a tab and the last date set, March 13, was kept. Someone had to pick up the gloves and that was Belal Muhammad.
The one from Chicago, of Palestinian parents and 32 years old, comes from beating Diegho Lima on February 13. They told him to rest after doing the three rounds, but when the call came he did not hesitate. He was doing well and he knows the opportunity is good. He is ranked 13th in the welterweight and Edwards is 3rd.. The triumph would catapult him and he is aware of it. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to accept. It was something that he had already thought could happen.
“He knew that things like this could happen during these times. I expected it to happen. Today, the people who are higher in the ranking do not want to fight. It’s not like I’ve been forced to say yes, but others think it wasn’t worth it.. Now he’s going to fight (Edwards) the toughest guy on the list and it sure isn’t worth it to you. This was the only chance for the fight to happen. The guys who are ranked higher could be my worst Rankin’s excuse. It is as if they forget why we are in this game. It’s to fight, not to sit around and do a commercial role”, he pointed in MMA Junkie in the previous one.
Without a doubt, Muhammad is facing a great opportunity and arrives very confident. For his part, Edwards has been off-center crossing statements with Covington in the previous one and we will see if that does not subtract him. The doubt is also in its lack of filming. Between postponement and postponement, he has not fought for a year and eight months.. He comes in good dynamics (eight wins in a row), but rust can take its toll on someone who has been in action for a month, although that can be a double-edged sword. 25 minutes of fighting could be very long. With all these data, and being a fight between men who are not great finishers (especially Muhammad, who has won 72% of his suits on points), the favorite is Edwards. They are two very complete fighters, but the British already knows what it is to fight and win at the top and for Muhammad it will be his first big exam. Now it is your turn to ratify the words on the tapestry.