Leon Edwards News

Adam Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad called Leon Edwards “soft” for a wanting title shot after their No Contest in the main event of UFC Vegas 21. Muhammad and Edwards had just started the second round when Muhammad received a nasty eye poke that left him unable to see. The doctor and referee Herb Dean deemed Muhammad unable to continue fighting and Dean declared the fight a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke. While some have called for the UFC to run the fight back, Edwards himself thinks that he is ready to move on and fighting for the UFC welterweight title.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling called for “new gloves” following last night’s Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad No Contest result. Edwards landed an accidental eye poke at the beginning of the second round that left Muhammad unable to see, resulting in the fight being called off. It was yet another unfortunate eye poke in MMA that led to a great fight being ruined, and it’s the kind of result that has reignited calls for new gloves to be introduced into mixed martial arts, and it led to a number of fighters including Sterling taking to their social media to vent.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

A new close-up photo has revealed just how gruesome the eye poke that Leon Edwards landed on Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21 actually was. Muhammad was fighting in the first main event of his UFC career, taking the fight with Edwards on short notice after Khamzat Chimaev withdrew due to COVID-19 health issues. After a competitive first round, the second round was just starting when Edwards landed a nasty eye poke to Muhammad that had “Remember the Name” writhing in pain. It was clear that Muhammad’s vision was negatively impacted by the eye poke, and after a discussion with the cage-side physician, referee Herb Dean ruled the fight a No Contest.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards believes that “a title shot should be next” for him despite a no-contest ruling at UFC Vegas 21. Edwards and Muhammad were just beginning the second round of their UFC Vegas 21 main event when “Rocky” made the ill-timed mistake of poking Muhammad in the eye. After the cage-side doctor waved the fight off due to an eye injury, referee Herb Dean called a stop to the contest due to a No Contest (accidental eye poke). But despite not actually winning the fight, Edwards says that he should be fighting for the UFC welterweight title next.

Christopher Taylor - March 13, 2021

Perennial UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards made his highly anticipated return to the Octagon this evening for a fight with Belal Muhammad. Edwards (18-3 MMA) was competing for the first time since July of 2019, where he had defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. The Birmingham native had entered tonight’s headliner sporting an impressive eight-fight win streak.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. The highly anticipated welterweight fight did not result in the definitive outcome that most fans were hoping for. Instead, after a strong first round, Leon Edwards wound up landing a nasty accidental eye poke on Belal Muhammad which forced a premature end to their fight.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

A key welterweight bout between perennial division contenders Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad headlined tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event. Edwards (18-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since July of 2019, where he had defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. The Birmingham native entered tonight’s headliner sporting an impressive eight-fight win streak.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

A key welterweight bout between perennial division contenders Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad headlines tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event. Edwards (18-3 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since July of 2019, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. That victory had marked the Birmingham natives eighth in a row and propelled him to the top of the promotions welterweight rankings.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the anticipated UFC Vegas 21 card out of the promotion’s Apex facility. UFC Vegas 21 will be headlined by a dynamite welterweight scrap between the division’s No. 3-ranked contender, Leon Edwards, and its No. 13 contender, Belal Muhammad. Edwards was originally slated to fight the unranked Khamzat Chimaev in the card’s headliner, but accepted a short-notice fight with Muhammad when Chimaev was forced off the card with health issues.

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 21, Leon Edwards is making his return to the Octagon as he takes on Belal Muhammad. Heading into the fight, Edwards is a -275 favorite while the Palestinian-American is a +215 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the majority of pros have Edwards extending his winning streak to nine.

Adam Martin - March 11, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 21 card featuring Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad in the main event. The main event sees the No. 3 ranked welterweight Edwards take on the No. 13 ranked Muhammad. Edwards was originally set to fight Khamzat Chimaev, but his opponent was forced off the card due to COVID-19 health issues and replaced on short notice by Muhammad. Theis fight is a fascinating matchup between two of the most well-rounded fighters at 170lbs. Edwards is currently riding an eight-fight win streak, while Muhammad has won eight of his last nine fights overall. It’s worth noting that Edwards has had a long layoff, having not fought since a July 2019 unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos.

Adam Martin - March 10, 2021

UFC president Dana White said that welterweight contender Leon Edwards will be in line for a 170lbs title shot with a big win this weekend. Edwards returns to the Octagon for the first time since July 2019 this Saturday night when he meets Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC Vegas 21. The Brit has a 10-2 overall record and is currently riding an eight-fight win streak as he closes in on the top of the UFC welterweight division. According to White, if Edwards goes out there and defeats Muhammad in an impressive fashion, he will be next in line for a welterweight title shot.

Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021

Leon Edwards wasn’t too surprised when Colby Covington turned him down. After Khamzat Chimaev was forced out of his UFC Vegas 21 main event against Leon Edwards, many thought Covington would step up. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition and instead, Edwards will now face Belal Muhammad.

Tom Taylor - March 5, 2021

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards is looking absolutely shredded ahead of his anticipated return to the Octagon. Edwards has not fought since a July, 2019 fight with Rafael dos Anjos, which he won by unanimous decision. However, his lengthy layoff is hardly his fault.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Khamzat Chimaev is on the road back to good health and already has an opponent in mind for his planned UFC comeback this June. Chimaev (9-0 MMA) has not competed since scoring a sensational 17-second knockout over middleweight Gerald Meerschaert this past September. ‘Borz’ has since been scheduled to fight top ranked welterweight Leon Edwards on a three different occasions. However, none of those proposed contests have come to fruition due to Chimaev’s lingering health issues from the coronavirus.

Harry Kettle - February 22, 2021

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has called out Colby Covington for avoiding a potential fight against Leon Edwards. Usman and Covington went to war back at UFC 245 in December 2019 with “The Nigerian Nightmare” successfully retaining his Welterweight Championship via TKO. Since then he’s also beaten Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns, whereas “Chaos” returned to action with a win over long-time rival Tyron Woodley.

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2021

Leon Edwards has accepted a new opponent for March 13. According to ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto, the long-absent welterweight star will now take on Belal Muhammad. Five days removed from a win last weekend, Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) has agreed to replace Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round main event against Leon Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) on March 13 per sources … And if Edwards wins this, it’s gotta be a title shot next, right? Gotta be. pic.twitter.com/tFM7KdhdAQ

Harry Kettle - February 18, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has listed two potential opponents who could get him right back to a shot at the title. Burns fell short in his attempt to capture the Welterweight Championship from Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, falling to a TKO loss despite a strong start to the bout.