Leon Edwards will headline the March 13 event after all.
Edwards was supposed to face Khamzat Chimaev, but the Swede was forced out of the fight due to lingering effects of COVID-19. The Englishman called for fights with Colby Covington and Nate Diaz. However, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Edwards will now face Belal Muhammad.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani also reported that the promotion tried to get Covington, Li Jingliang, as well as Nate Diaz to fight Edwards. However, the promotion settled on Muhammad.
Muhammad is coming off a decision win over Dhiego Lima at UFC 258 to extend his winning streak to four as he beat Lyman Good, Takashi Sato, and Curtis Millender. He is 9-2 in the UFC with his only losses to Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal. Muhammad holds notable wins over Randy Brown and Tim Means. He is also ranked 13th at welterweight.
Leon Edwards, meanwhile, has not fought since he defeated Rafael dos Anjos in July of 2019. He was then scheduled to fight Tyron Woodley in March of 2020 but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then had three dates against Chimaev canceled due to COVID-19 but will now get a fight.
It is likely if Edwards wins, he could very well earn a title shot. For Muhammad, if he can pull off the upset win, he could be in a number one contender fight.
Who do you think will win, Leon Edwards or Belal Muhammad?
