Leon Edwards was stripped of his UFC welterweight title by Belal Muhammad after falling to a unanimous decision defeat in Manchester.
The judges scored a pulsating contest 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in Muhammad’s favour with Edwards suffering a shock loss in the main event of UFC 304.
‘Rocky’ was dethroned on his third title defence despite landing a desperate flurry in the final round while the bloodied Muhammad, who broke down in tears after being crowned the new champion, took his formidable winning streak to ten fights.
The fight at the Co-op Live Arena, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, was a rematch of the 2021 showdown which had been deemed a no-contest after Muhammad was unable to continue following an accidental eye poke.
‘It sounds like all of the people booing have got a lot of tears coming out of their eyes,’ Muhammad told TNT Sports. ‘I’ve got my family in here. God first, always. This fight is for my family, my people and for Palestine.
‘I got the best team in the world, we study to the core, we get better. We’ve got the best strikers, these guys are killers. You might not know there names, but we’ve got a real champion in Chicago now.
‘I’m Belal Muhammad. I’m my own man. Now the world sees it.
‘They’ve got to respect it.’
More to follow.
