Kamaru Usman choices Leon Edwards to defeat Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.
Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his welterweight title in a rematch against Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the main event on July 27 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
Usman lost to Edwards twice in championship matches, but both contests were competitive. The former welterweight champion simply doesn’t see Muhammad having the ability to control Edwards on the ground.
“I would say I like Belal, but I think Leon (will win),” Usman said in his “Pound 4 pounds” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Fighting is not enough. The sport has changed a lot, where guys are learning how to use the cage to get up. It’s not real wrestling anymore, because if you take a guy close to the cage, he’ll use the cage and get back up.
“Guys are getting really, really good at it. … And Belal Muhammad, I don’t think, is a high enough level fighter to take him to the center of the cage and keep him there and win the fight there. Belal, his level is definitely up there now, where he can change his stance. He can fight in both stances. He mixes everything up and knows how to control the pace. That’s the most important thing. You saw that in the Burns fight: he knows how to pace himself.”
Edwards was able to fend off Colby Covington’s wrestling for the most part to secure his second title defense at UFC 296. While Usman thinks Muhammad manages his pace better than Edwards, he doesn’t think it will be enough.
“This is a very intriguing fight,” Usman said. “But Leon just being the champion and confident in being the champion, I think he’ll be sharp.”
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 304.
