MANCHESTER, England – Belal Muhammed defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision to win the welterweight title at UFC 304 on Sunday, while Tom Aspinall retained his interim heavyweight crown by knocking out Curtis Blaydes one minute into the first round of the co-main event.
The 36-year-old American dominated the first two rounds, taking Edwards to the mat with a wrestling-heavy attack and then slamming the Briton's head into the ground in the second, nearly knocking him out.
Edwards won the third round, but Muhammad was back on top in the fourth, controlling Edwards from behind with a body triangle choke for much of the round.
Edwards had success landing jabs and kicks, but he couldn't stay on his feet long enough to do any damage, and he was taken down again in the fifth round.
With time running out in the fifth and final round, Edwards cut Muhammad with a powerful elbow, but there wasn't enough time to finish him off.
All three judges awarded Muhammad the victory, but after UFC president Dana White placed the championship belt around his waist, Muhammad dropped to his knees and exited the cage yelling, “You doubt me now! You doubt me now!”
Edwards said he's been feeling fatigued all week.
“I'm not surprised. My body was just tired from the first round. I've been feeling tired all week. Congrats to Belal, he got the job done,” he added. Reuters
