Simply moments after he turned UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad joked that he would finally face Leon Edwards once more however he would make him wait at the least three years earlier than it occurs.
That timeframe referenced how lengthy it took Muhammad to get a second crack at Edwards after their first encounter — which got here collectively on brief discover — led to a no-contest resulting from a brutal eye poke. Muhammad went onto win 5 extra fights earlier than finally dominating Edwards over 5 rounds to take the title at UFC 304 in July.
As a lot as he loved throwing out the three-year window between fights, Muhammad is aware of there’s an opportunity he would possibly cross paths with Edwards once more however he’s unsure the previous champion ever truly earns it.
“Talent smart, he has the talent to do it nevertheless it’s all about mentality,” Muhammad defined when chatting with MMA Preventing. “Since you’ve seen it so much with undefeated guys, after they get that one loss, lots of guys don’t know tips on how to take a loss. He hasn’t misplaced in eight years and he had this lengthy streak. So it comes now from how does he come again from it mentally?
“Bodily, yeah he has all of the attributes, the talents to do it and once you’re trying on the lineup now, I beat lots of these guys within the high 10 already. So there’s not lots of guys you’re taking a look at ‘this man is the clear No. 1 contender.’ So Leon may go on the market and get one win and if it’s an enormous win, there’s a chance that he may get his title again within the combine.”
Edwards hasn’t booked a battle since dropping his title, though he beforehand talked about that he want to compete once more earlier than the tip of 2024.
The identical goes for Muhammad, though he’s doubtlessly circling a showdown in opposition to undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov however there’s nonetheless no official phrase if that battle goes to occur or not.
Regardless, Muhammad has no drawback going through Edwards once more if he earns his approach again to a different title shot, however he’s not satisfied it occurs.
Muhammad factors on to the circumstances surrounding their rematch in July as maybe the largest impediment for Edwards to regain his confidence to make one other run at turning into champion.
“That was your own home soil, the gang was there for you,” Muhammad mentioned in regards to the card in Manchester. “The battle was tailored for you. You had been purported to stroll by means of me. You mentioned it was going to be simple and stroll by means of [me]. That’s embarrassing.
“Now he has to determine what he desires to do along with his life. If he nonetheless desires to chase it with that starvation inside him.”
Muhammad additionally has issues about Edwards’ future along with his group after he noticed tensions rising through the battle as he continued to win spherical after spherical within the title battle.
Not like Edwards’ beautiful comeback knockout win over Kamaru Usman to develop into champion — which got here after his coach Dave Lovell gave him a fiery speech between the fourth and fifth spherical — Muhammad didn’t see that very same form of motivation this time round.
“It simply all comes again mentally,” Muhammad mentioned. “I don’t know if him and his coach are going to have a breakup occasion now as a result of they appeared fairly unhealthy within the nook. There’s lots of turmoil there.
“So I really feel like there’s going to be lots of blame and lots of embarrassment coming from that group. Rather a lot simply embarrassment from [Edwards].”
