Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has a strong idea of how Saturday's main event title fight in Manchester will play out.
Mixed martial arts' leading promotion is back across the pond this week to stage its first card in the English city of Manchester in close to a decade. And among the home fighters looking to thrill the UK crowd is reigning welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards.
Following successful defenses of his gold opposite Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington in 2023, "Rocky" is next tasked with getting the better of Belal Muhammad at the second time of trying.
While their first fight back in 2021 ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke, the champ believes he was firmly en route to a knockout at the Apex. And with that in mind, the Jamaica-born Brit expects to finish the job inside the Co-op Live this weekend.
In that regard, he has the support of one notable former two-time UFC champ...
Adesanya 'Not Hating On Belal', But Sees A Finish For Edwards At UFC 304
During a video recently uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Adesanya provided his breakdowns and predictions for the major title fights set to play out in Manchester on July 27.
When it comes to the main event, Adesanya had little doubt backing his fellow Chosen Advisory-managed fighter to emerge with the gold still in his possession at UFC 304, even predicting that he'll get the job done before the championship rounds.
Belal's got pressure, man. It just seems like he's able to get to people and put his will on them," Adesanya said. "But I'll tell you one thing, this is a different version — Leon just seems like he's on a massacre right now; he's on a run. Leon might finish him. I think Leon finishes this fight.
I'm trying to see how Belal can win this fight. This seems like a bad match for Belal. I'm not hating on Belal or anything, I'm just trying to see what's his path to victory in this," Adesanya continued. "Striking, Leon's got it. Grappling, you wanna lean towards Belal but Leon is right up there. It's Leon's fight to win, Leon's fight to lose. ... Leon's too crisp compared to Belal. He's just too sharp. ... Leon by knockout in the third round, second or third round.
Edwards will look to make Adesanya's prediction a reality come fight night, when he's vowed to end Muhammad's championship ambitions inside the distance with an emphatic performance and stoppage on home soil.
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