"I thought it was a punch" - Leon Edwards claims that he may have not eye poked Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21
In the aftermath of his controversial UFC return, Leon Edwards claimed that he initially thought that he had landed a punch on Belal Muhammad instead of an eye poke.
While speaking to other media members after his fight, Leon Edwards admitted that he attempted a cross-head kick, as Muhammad tried to close the distance on him. The attempt eventually led to a nasty eye poke from 'Rocky' and the fight was almost immediately called off, with Muhammad breaking into tears in pain.
"I thought it was a punch 'cause the combination I was throwing was a cross head kick. He kind of stepped in to close the distance and then I seen him grabbed his eye and turned around, I thought it was a punch. I wish Belal full recovery obviously. It was an accident, I didn't mean it."
Despite the controversial end to his UFC return fight, Leon Edwards was quick to apologize to his opponent inside the octagon itself. 'Rocky' made it known that the eye poke was an accident and nothing was intentional on his part.
What's next for Leon Edwards from here onwards?
At UFC Vegas 21, Leon Edwards finally made his return to the UFC for the first time in almost a year and a half. With a win over Rafael dos Anjos in his last fight, Edwards was aiming to extend his winning streak to 9 fights.
However, Edwards' return didn't turn out the way he would've hoped for, as his main event showdown against Belal Muhammad ended in a No Contest.
Regardless of the controversial end to his fight though, Edwards once again called for a shot at the UFC welterweight championship for his next fight.
Leon Edwards' last loss in the UFC was in 2015 when he was beaten by the reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. 'Rocky' is not only hoping to avenge his loss to 'The Nigerian Nightmare' but is also aiming to get his hands on UFC gold for the very first time in his career.
Following the controversial conclusion to his return fight, it now remains to be seen what plans the UFC will come up with for Leon Edwards.