LEON EDWARDS is eager to leave the Belal Muhammad chapter of his career behind and continue his journey to becoming MMA’s all-time greatest welterweight.
The Brummie will make the third defense of their 170-pound title in the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester tomorrow morning.
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Edwards, 32, rematches the Palestinian-born American just over three years after their first meeting in Las Vegas ended in a No-Contest due to an accidental eye poke.
‘Rocky’ came close to ending the fight moments before he inadvertently gouged out Muhammad’s right eye and planned to finish the job he started in Sin City in devastating fashion.
Edwards said: “He was the one who messed up my winning streak.
“I feel like going out there on Saturday night and finally shutting him up and moving on with my career.”
He added: “I believe I’m better than him anywhere in the fight, with my mentality and the way I understand the game.
“My mixed martial arts IQ is miles ahead of him and it will show on fight night.
“This guy has been saying my name for a long time, so it’s extra motivation to go out there and whip him.
“On fight night in Manchester, he will have a lot to answer for.
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“I’m going to go there and finish him off.”
Edwards is chasing George St-Pierre’s record of nine title defenses and sees Muhammad and the rest of the division’s newcomers as stepping stones on his path to greatness.
He said: “All these fights are important to my legacy.
“Belal will count as much as beating the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry.
“Because when it’s all said and done and I look back at my career and I’m on a ten-fight defense streak, he’s going to be part of the ten.
“You have to take him seriously and I do.”
Muhammad, 36, enters his first title fight in career form thanks to five straight wins, but is still a huge underdog.
But ‘Remember The Name’ is relishing that status and silencing what will be a noisy crowd on the brand new Cooperative Live arena.
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He told SunSport: “I’m looking forward to getting into enemy territory and winning the belt.
“With my journey, the way I fought and the people I had to fight with, it was meant to be.
“I was supposed to go into enemy territory with the world thinking there’s no chance of that happening.
“This is my ‘Rocky’ story.
“It’s going to be, ‘And new.’ There will be a new champion.
“I’m going to go out there and the world will be surprised at how easy I make it look.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
