Muhammad got right to work with what works best for him, scoring a pair of takedowns early. Edwards had good connections on the feet during the round, but Muhammad connected with a late uppercut that seemed to rock Edwards.
Muhammad then completely had his way with the defending champion in the second round, landing a couple of more takedowns and showing complete pressure and control. This included a takedown where Edwards was notably dumped on his head.
Edwards fought back against Muhammad's pressure in the third round, taking control on the ground and getting to Muhammad's back with a body triangle, threatening a choke. Edwards looked to land in the fourth and had solid connections. But Muhammad answered and went back to his wrestling pressure, scoring another takedown and having complete control of Edwards's back this time around.
The two exchanged early in the fifth round, with Edwards fending off a takedown attempt. But Muhammad pressured him back to the fence and took a hold of him again. There, Muhammad got another body lock and another takedown, overwhelming Edwards with wrestling. Edwards busted Muhammad open with two elbows in the fight's closing seconds, but it was too little, too late.
Muhammad won on all three scorecards, with two 48-47s and a 49-46.
Belal Muhammad Claims Welterweight Championship With Decision Win Over Leon Edwards At UFC 304
Muhammad has won all but two fights in the UFC since 2017. This now marks six straight wins for Muhammad since a no-contest in his first fight with Edwards.
This marks Edwards's first loss since dropping his initial battle with Kamaru Usman at the end of 2015. Edwards won the welterweight title at UFC 278 with a fifth-round knockout of Usman and retained in a trilogy fight with Usman, as well as Colby Covington.