VIDEO | Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad stare each other down during awkward elevator encounter

UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad ran into each other in a closed space just days before UFC 304.

Edwards and Muhammad headline UFC 304 this Saturday in Manchester. The two top welterweights will clash in a rematch of the 2021 fight that ended abruptly due to an accidental eye poke.

Tensions between Edwards and Muhammad have ramped up in recent months ahead of their UFC welterweight title fight. Muhammad has repeatedly mocked Edwards on social media, and the titleholder has returned the favor in downplaying Muhammad’s credentials.

During UFC 304 media day festivities this week, Muhammad and Edwards’s teams shared an elevator ride in Manchester. The two headliners stared each other down, as seen in the latest episode of UFC 304: Embedded.

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad exchange banter: “Pack of p*****s”

Watch Edwards and Muhammad’s awkward face-to-face below.

https://twitter.com/acdmma_/status/1816181060411244651

Edwards returns to defend the UFC welterweight title after defeating Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December. He earned the belt by head-kick knockout over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, before winning their rematch at UFC 286.

Edwards hasn’t lost since 2015; a unanimous decision defeat to Usman at the beginning of their UFC tenures. He’s unblemished in his last 12 fights, including wins over Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, and Donald Cerrone.

Muhammad earned the title shot following a 10-fight unbeaten streak inside the Octagon. He’s defeated an impressive slew of contenders in his rise to the top of the division, including victories over the likes of Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

Muhammad ramped up the pre-fight trash talk when he refused to put Edwards in his Top 3 welterweight rankings. His team recently alluded to his boxing being comparable to Canelo Alvarez ahead of UFC 304.

Things are escalating between Edwards and Muhammad ahead of fight night, and one of the biggest welterweight fights in recent UFC history is expected to be a classic.