Belal Muhammad is eager to win the UFC welterweight title by defeating Leon Edwards on his home turf and aims to become the best welterweight ever, with plans to stay active and defend his belt frequently.
Belal Muhammad wants to be a fighting champion.
Just days away from his first opportunity at winning a title at UFC 304, the top-ranked welterweight contender hasn’t lost sight on the task at hand. That means stepping into enemy territory and beating Leon Edwards on the champ’s home soil.
Muhammad’s busy schedule came to a sudden halt after he became the No. 1 contender in May 2023. He had to sit on the sidelines for months, waiting for Edwards to finally defend his belt against Colby Covington this past December.
Now, seven months after Edwards’ win over Covington, Muhammad is anxious to get back to work. He promises that a win on Saturday will finally get the division moving again.
“I love to fight,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “You have no idea how antsy I am, where I’m telling my coach, ‘Let’s do something, let’s just get somebody else.’”
“My goal is to win this belt and then go back to Abu Dhabi and have my first title defense there [at UFC 308]. I want to stay active. I’m always training, always in the gym, always working. We get paid to fight; we don’t get paid to sit on the sidelines.”
While Edwards has dealt with periods of inactivity over the past few years, especially during the pandemic, he defended his belt twice in 2023. This is typical for most UFC champions.
The timing for Muhammad’s title shot really centered around UFC’s return to England. Edwards and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall are headlining the card together.
Still, Muhammad isn’t buying that Edwards is just operating on the UFC’s clock. He believes the champ is clinging onto relevancy for just a little while longer.
“Leon, like I said, it’s a fear thing,” Muhammad said. “He knows these next matchups are going to be tough. He knows that he’s going to lose.”
“He knows once this fight was signed, it was like, ‘Alright, well, this is my last couple of chances walking around with this belt.’ This is my last couple of chances to be on a GQ magazine or going to a soccer game or something stupid like that.”
Because after he loses? Nobody’s gonna give him any attention. He doesn’t get any attention otherwise.
“If he didn’t have this belt,” Muhammad continued passionately, “nobody would know who he is.”
“He doesn’t talk for himself; he doesn’t promote himself; he doesn’t even know how to speak! Even when he goes on these podcasts—he’s whispering! He just looks so stupid.”
“He looks fearful; like he doesn’t belong here.” That belt? It doesn’t belong on his shoulder—it belongs on mine!
Once I get it? I’m gonna show everyone in this division what real championship material looks like.
Muhammad even embraces doing all this in Edwards’ home country with a crowd that’s definitely rooting for their guy.
(In fact) Manchester feels like *the* ideal location for him to begin his reign as champion.
(Seriously) “I love it,” Muhammad said excitedly. “When I look at stuff and think about God’s plan… You wanted [UFC] 300? You wanted that headline spot?”
If you ask me?
“When I saw this opportunity—I knew Manchester was where it had all been leading up.”
“Bro,” That’s where this chapter ends.”
“That title reign—one of hardest title runs in UFC history when you look at who I’ve fought—it ends with me beating him in his hometown.”
“Taking that belt from there—and bringing it back here.”
(Mic drop)