Robert Whittaker recently said that he believes Leon Edwards did not perform to the best of his abilities in his rematch against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304.
“Rocky” relinquished his welterweight championship to Muhammad in his third title defense this Saturday at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, England. This was the second showdown between the two fighters, with their first encounter ending in a no-contest after an eye-poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue past the second round.
Muhammad came out strong in the first round, quickly securing a takedown that highlighted his wrestling dominance. His seamless combination of takedowns and boxing set the tone for the fight. In the second round, he intensified his assault, dropping the defending champion on his head and taking control by securing his back.
Edwards managed a comeback in the fourth round with aggressive striking, but the challenger quickly closed the distance, taking him down and maintaining a dominant position for most of the round. In a dramatic final push, Edwards reversed the position and unleashed a barrage of elbows, splitting Muhammad open.
Despite this late effort, it wasn’t enough to retain his belt, as the judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in favor of “Remember the Name”, crowning him the new UFC welterweight champion.
This setback cost the Jamaican-born Englishman not only his title but also ended his impressive 13-fight unbeaten streak in the Octagon. “The Reaper” believes Edwards didn’t meet the high standards he has set for himself…
Whittaker Believes Edwards Wasn’t At His Best Against Muhammad
During a recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker analyzed the rematch between Edwards and Muhammad at UFC 304. The UFC middleweight champion conveyed his surprise at “Rocky’s” uncharacteristic struggle in the bout, noting that his performance starkly contrasted with his last two impressive showings against Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
“I was surprised, not surprised like that Muhammad surprised me,” Whittaker said. “Yeah, no, you know what, I was surprised. I was surprised because Leon’s last two showings against Usman and Colby looked vastly different to the Leon that turned up against Muhammad. Now, what does that mean? Because I don’t want to take away from Belal just turning up and honestly dominating Leon Edwards. Like, he belted him in the stand-up. He put that constant pressure, was punching him up.”
Whittaker went on to say that Muhammad’s performance may have caught Edwards off guard, as he possibly underestimated how formidable his opponent would be.
“I am wondering why Leon had no answer for it because we saw him go up against the likes of Usman, we saw him go up against the likes of Colby, and both guys couldn’t do that. Was it because Belal is a much bigger welterweight? He looked strong in that. I don’t want to take away because it was such a good showing from Belal, but it was such a—like, did he shut down that hard that he made Leon look bad, or was it because Leon was off? He said he felt lethargic or whatever.”
In his post-fight Octagon interview, “Rocky” revealed that he struggled with fatigue in the days leading up to UFC 304, as he attempted to acclimate to the unusual fight schedule in Manchester.
Edwards made it clear that he doesn’t plan to dwell on the loss. He is eager to return to the Octagon later this year, though his next opponent remains uncertain.
