Belal Muhammad plans on doing "the Khabib thing" with Leon Edwards after UFC 304 instead of burying the hatchet
It seems like Belal Muhammad is aiming for revenge, not redemption at UFC 304. 'Remember the Name' has no plans to quash his beef with Leon Edwards after their title fight.
During an interview with MMA Junkie, the No.2 ranked welterweight contender claimed that he intends to follow Khabib Nurmagomedov's footsteps and attack his opponent's corner once the fight is over:
"After the fight, I think I'm going to literally walk to his corner and do the Khabib thing. Throw my mouthpiece at them, laugh at them, point, and maybe hop over the fence and jump on his brother."
Catch Belal Muhammad's comments below:
For context, tensions were running high in the lead-up to 'The Eagle's' historic UFC 229 clash against Conor McGregor. Unfortunately, cooler heads did not prevail following Nurmagomedov's triumph.
After one of the Irishman's teammates taunted him, the Dagestani threw his mouthpiece at his opponent's corner, before jumping over the fence to attack one of McGregor's cornermen.
What ensued was an all-out melee, birthing one of the most infamous moments in MMA history.
While Edwards has not committed nearly as many transgressions against Muhammad, the fact that 'Rocky' has often snubbed him as a worthy title contender, seems to have developed a deep unsated animosity in 'Remember the Name'.
Watch Leon Edwards deny Belal Muhammad a title shot below:
Additionally, the pair has unfinished business from their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 187 in 2021, where the bout ended in a no-contest after Muhammad was unable to continue owing to an accidental eye poke.
Leon Edwards says he is going to "take out" Belal Muhammad
Leon Edwards is not oblivious to the improvements Belal Muhammad has made since their first fight. 'Remember the Name' has gone on a five-fight win streak since then, clinching wins against the likes of Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
However, 'Rocky' believes he is still a much better fighter than the 36-year-old. The welterweight champion is convinced that he'll finish Muhammad in their rematch. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on a recent episode of The MMA Hour, he said:
"I feel like I'm just a better athlete. I'm [more] technical, mentally [and] everything I feel better. I'm just better than him... I feel like I fight [him] 10 times, I should beat him 10 times and July is going to be the second time I'm fighting him. I'm going to take him out."
Catch Leon Edwards' comments about Belal Muhammad below (7:50):