‘Villain’ Belal Muhammad rejoices creating turmoil between Leon Edwards and his coach

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad remembers destroying Leon Edwards mentally in their title fight at UFC 304.


‘Villain’ Belal Muhammad rejoices creating turmoil between Leon Edwards and his coach

Belal Muhammad dominated Leon Edwards at UFC 304 (via X)

Nothing beats a story of an underdog and that’s what Belal Muhammad added to his legacy at UFC 304 against Leon Edwards. Muhammad not only shocked everyone by becoming the welterweight champion, but also dominated the UK native for five rounds. Going into the fight, nobody believed in Muhammad but that’s exactly why the result was so satisfying for the Palestinian champion. 

Muhammad had to work incredibly hard for a title shot, largely because his popularity was low and recognition was lacking. Before their fight, Edwards mocked him, laughing and dismissing Muhammad’s skills, showing clear disrespect and underestimation. Inside the octagon, however, Edwards looked lost, and had a heated moment with his coach, something the current champion rejoices in.

Before the fight I said, ’I’m gonna get him to a breaking point’ and the  best part of the fight is going back and seeing him in the fifth round where his coach is trying to give a motivational speech and he tell him to shut the f up.

Belal Muhammad via UFC 

This moment stood out during the fight, as Edwards’ coach famously inspired his first-ever UFC title victory. At UFC 278, ‘Rocky’ faced Kamaru Usman and was losing badly until a miraculous last-minute comeback stunned the MMA world. During the breaks, his coach’s words reignited his spirit, leading to a shocking knockout victory via a vicious head kick.

This time, however, the same approach failed, and Edwards visibly reacted with frustration after realizing the motivation wouldn’t help. For Muhammad, this was deeply satisfying—it meant he had broken Edwards both physically and mentally, dominating in every possible way. The loss was so heartbreaking that Edwards lost embarrassingly against Sean Brady in 2025, where his coach again looked helpless.

Taking down opponents and mauling them, Muhammad’s fighting style looked extremely similar to that of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Palestinian champion frequently praised Nurmagomedov, and his team for shaping his mentality and champion-level approach to fighting. Despite his dominance, critics consistently target his wrestling-heavy style and inability to secure finishes as reasons he lacks mainstream popularity.

UFC analyst talks about Belal Muhammad’s UFC reputation 

While dominating a fighter from start to finish is impressive, most UFC fans like to see brutal knockouts. For the same reason, strikers like Alex Pereira, Conor McGregor, Ilia Topuria, and Max Holloway are popular in the MMA community. Belal Muhammad has only 1 finish in his last 10 UFC fights, highlighting his struggles to deliver highlight-reel finishes. 

Belal Muhammad's confusing legacy
Belal Muhammad’s confusing legacy (via X)

With just 5 finishes in 14 UFC wins, his 35% finish rate is significantly below most top-tier welterweight contenders’ averages. Fighters such as Ilia Topuria and Dricus Du Plessis have often mocked the fighter due to his record and fighting style. However, according to Laura Shanko, Muhammad’s approach might help him in the long run while comparing his legacy with others. 

I think what the fans want to see and what wins fights is not always the exact same thing…Whether you like it or not, winning is the most important thing in professional sports…He (Muhammad) has the capability to be that type of fighter. GSP was called boring often and they’re not entirely dissimilar in the way that they fight. And yet, removed from having GSP, we miss him and there is not a person out there who wouldn’t put him on their list of GOATS.

Laura Shanko via Submission Radio

Belal Muhammad has also expressed his ambition to surpass Georges St-Pierre’s legacy and become the greatest welterweight in UFC history. Currently, he is scheduled to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena, marking the beginning of his welterweight championship reign. Despite his current focus, Muhammad has shown interest in moving up and pursuing the UFC middleweight championship belt.

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