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Kenneth Le
Belal Muhammad is coming off a dominant victory over Dhiego Lima on February 13th. He now steps into the Octagon one month later to take on the number three-ranked fighter in the world Leon Edwards in this weekend's UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad.
Let's take a look at the scouting report and a prediction for this weekend's UFC main event.
Belal Muhammad UFC Scouting Report
Muhammad showed why he was a -450 favorite in his last fight, he posted the best performance of his career as he shattered his significant strike record against a very game Lima. He landed an incredible 129 significant strikes in the bout and used relentless pressure to overwhelm Lima for three straight rounds in a lob-sided unanimous decision victory.
In Muhammad's post fight interview he stressed that he would love a five round fight to showcase his cardio. Being that Edwards was left without an opponent the only man willing to answer the call was Muhammad. With a win over Edwards, Muhammad would catapult himself to the top of the division. Make no mistake about it, this is going to be Muhammad's toughest fight to date. Oddsmakers have opened Edwards as a heavy -260 favorite and Muhammad as a +200 betting underdog. Muhammad has never been this big of an underdog in his career to date.
Muhammad's Strengths
Some advantages Muhammad will have in this fight is the fact that he has been active leading up to the March 13th clash. Ring rust is something very real in the fight game, and Leon Edwards is the definition of ring rust, while he is on an incredible eight-fight winning streak he hasn't fought since July of 2019. Muhammad knows what it feels like to go through all the protocols, and experience a fight in the apex with no crowd, he is coming in on fire. While Edwards will be coming in completely ice cold having not stepped into the Octagon for well over a year.
Belal Muhammad Weaknesses
A few things that concern me going into this fight is if Muhammad's calf will be 100%. While he was dominant in his recent performance he took multiple hard calf kicks and even sent out a tweet on twitter expressing that his calf was a balloon. It's hard to tell if he will be coming into this fight fully healthy after going three hard rounds just a short time ago.
Bet on UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad at DraftKings Sportsbook
Leon Edwards UFC Scouting Report
Leon Edwards is coming off a victory over Rafael Dos Anjos. His most notable wins are over the likes of Dos Anjos, Vicente Luque, and Donald Cerrone. When it comes to the welterweight division, Edwards is at the top of the food chain. His last loss came back in 2015 which was six years ago and that was at the hands of current champion Kamaru Usman.
This fight will be a war. Muhammad will look to pressure and drag Edwards into deep waters where he might have an advantage late in the fight, if theres one thing fight fans know about Belal “Remember The Name” Muhammad it's that he'll leave everything he has inside the Octagon.
While Muhammad will look to pressure Edwards it might not be enough to get the job done. Belal’s chin has been suspect in his career, he was stopped by KO in under two minutes against Luque, and then after that fight Luque went on to lose to Edwards.
Edwards vs. Muhammad Betting Odds
At DraftKings Sportsbook for this weekend's main event, here are the fighting odds as of Friday evening:
- Leon Edwards (-265)
- Belal Muhammad (+215)
UFC Fight Night Picks
Even with ring rust I think Edwards will show he’s levels above Muhammad and with a KO victory he will be sure to put himself at the top spot for the next title shot. When breaking down film in both fighters I see many similarities between them. I just believe everything Muhammad does, Leon can do but at a higher level. That will be the difference maker in this fight.
Official Prediction: Leon Edwards 2nd Round KO.
Bet on Leon Edwards to win by second-round KO at DraftKings Sportsbook
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