It has been over three years since Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad first met inside the Octagon, back in March of 2021.
As is always the case ahead of a rematch, one of the big questions heading into UFC 304 is how much we can learn from the first time that these two men squared off.
Edwards will be looking to secure the third defense of his welterweight title in the main event on July 27, which he went on to claim after his fight with Muhammad ended in a no contest.
For Muhammad, who took that fight on short notice and was unable to continue fighting after an eye poke, he then produced five consecutive wins over fellow contenders in order to earn this rematch.
Whilst the fight only lasted just over one round, “Rocky” was on top for the majority – but Jon Anik isn’t putting too much stock on what he has seen from this match-up in the past.
Jon Anik Says That Both Men Have Improved Too Much For Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad 1 To Impact The Rematch
In a recent interview with InsideFighting, UFC commentator Jon Anik said that he doesn’t believe you can look too much into how the first fight between Edwards and Muhammad played out when previewing the rematch.
Edwards started uncharacteristically fast on that night at the UFC Apex but as Anik goes on to state, Muhammad didn’t have the same kind of preparation ahead of time.
“It’s hard not to toss it out completely, it was a short notice circumstance really for both athletes but Leon was to face Khamzat Chimaev, one of the three times those individuals were scheduled to have fought and Belal was the guy that stepped up.
“Obviously he did show a lot of heart and toughness when he did have compromising spots in that fight, one of the hardest eye pokes I think to watch back just in terms of seeing the combination of a human being’s physical and emotional pain because Belal was not wrong in thinking that when that opportunity against Leon went away with an eye poke, that it was going to be hard to come by again.
“But, they’re just different athletes at this point in time. So I know they’ve both leveled up, Leon levelling up maybe has been easier for someone like me with a more amateur eye to see but I give him a lot of credit for certainly those two wins over Usman.”
Due to the time elapsed since their initial meeting, Anik came to the conclusion that both men have changed too much for the first fight to have much impact on this high-stakes rematch at UFC 304.
“I’m fascinated to see [the rematch] but largely I have to throw out most of the first fight. Even though Leon had more success, I just think Belal’s a totally different physical animal than he was and I think Leon is 25% better than he was.”
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