American Belal Muhammad surprised Britain’s Leon Edwards with a leading performance to win the welterweight title at UFC 304 in Manchester.
Muhammad, 36, out-grappled Edwards throughout the bout and was awarded victory by a unanimous decision, ending the 32-year-old’s 12-fight win streak and dampening the atmosphere at the Co-op Live.
The win came after a 2021 bout between the pair was stopped and deemed a no-contest following an accidental eye poke from the Briton.
The fight took place just after 05:30 BST with the UFC catering to an American audience, and Edwards addition he felt “tired” during his post-fight interview.
“Not surprising, my body just felt tired from round one,” said Edwards. “All week I’ve felt tired. Congratulations to Belal, we will be back.”
Introducing two Britons in title fights, the show was the biggest to take place on English soil in UFC history and the first to occur at the 23,500 capacity arena since its opening in May.
Much of the build-up, though, had focused on the unusual starting time of 23:00 BST with many fighters – and in particular Edwards – altering their body clocks in advance on the advice of the UFC’s Performance Institute., external
On a card that desirable eye-catching finishes during the middle stages, Paddy Pimblett sparked the fans into life at around 04:30 BST and the energy levels did not dip until Edwards defeat by Muhammad.
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