Leon Edwards plans on defending his welterweight title when the UFC returns to Manchester on July 27.
‘Rocky’ last stepped inside the Octagon at UFC 296 in December, securing a decisive decision victory over Colby Covington to retain his 170-pound crown. No official announcements have been made regarding Edwards’ next title defense, but according to his coach, Dave Lovell, they’re “99 percent” certain it’ll be against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.
“The UFC is over here in July. No doubt Leon will be on that bill,” Lovell said in an interview with talkSPORT. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the 300 bill for whatever reasons, the lads they put to him, Shavkat, Khamzat, Islam, they were all fasting. We were ready to go. It is what it is. There is a big Muslim contingent in England in Manchester, so I think it will be Belal, it’s not written in stone, but 99% it will be Belal.”
Sitting on a 10-fight unbeaten streak, ‘Remember the Name’ is the clear next man in line at welterweight. His most recent appearance inside the Octagon came in May where he scored a dominant W over Gilbert Burns. Seven months before that, he dispatched the previously undefeated Sean Brady in the second round of their scrap at UFC 280.
Muhammad’s last four victories have all come against top 15 opponents, three of them inside the top 10.
“Leon is looking forward to the July bill, he starts his camp next week, for a 12-week camp and we are sharpening up our tools to deal with Mr. Belal,” Lovell added.
🚨 Leon Edwards' head coach, Dave Lovell, says that Leon Edwards will 'no doubt' fight in July in Manchester, and says he is '99.9%' sure that the opponent will be Belal Muhammad
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Lovell Accuses Belal Muhammad of ‘Looking for a Way Out’ in His First Fight with Leon Edwards
“He got his ass severed to him for a round-and-a-half in the last fight,” Lovell said. “I don’t see him wanting to stand with Leon. He’ll be looking to grind Leon against the cage, take him down, maul him when he’s down, and probably steal a decision that way. If that eye poke never happened, I think Leon would’ve finished him in the second round. To me, analyzing the fight and looking back on it, Belal was looking for a way out and to steal a decision.
“That eye poke, and the noise he made, literally screaming and crying, it’s funny that he didn’t have to go to hospital, didn’t have any eye damage, so what does that tell you? If the medics clear him after the fight, what does that tell you? He tried to steal a decision, but payback is a b*tch, we’ll see.”
Watch the full interview below:
