Belal Muhammad Outwrestles Leon Edwards to Take UFC 170-Pound Title

It’ll be harder to forget the name now.

Belal Muhammad did what many thought couldn’t be done and dethroned Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Leon Edwards by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) in the UFC 304 main event Saturday night at the Co-op live in Manchester, England.

Muhammad backed Edwards up with the jab and routinely took him down with a high-crotch single leg. Edwards looked lethargic but had Muhammad in danger in Round 3 and in the final minute of the fight when he cut the challenger with a nasty elbow. Outside of those moments, the former champion was dominated by the disciplined Chicagoan, who capped off his 10-fight win streak with UFC gold.

Aspinall Avenges Fluke Loss

Tom Aspinall has his eyes on Jon Jones and he refused to let Curtis Blaydes get in the way.

The interim heavyweight champion avenged his knee injury loss to Blaydes two years ago with a devasting first-round knockout (1:00) to retain his belt in the co-main event.

“Hello Jon, I have nothing against you personally but I know that I can beat you,” Aspinall said in his post-fight interview.

‘Paddy the Baddy’ Makes Statement

Paddy Pimblett picked up the most impressive win of his career, submitting Bobby Green via triangle choke armbar in the first round (3:22) of their lightweight feud.

Much anticipation circled the fight as Green desired to end the Pimblett hype train. A spot in the rankings was on the line for Pimblett, and he impressed in front of his cheering countrymen. Pimblett bothered Green early with calf kicks before ultimately catching his prey in a trap on the ground. As Green squirmed, he only made the choke tighter. Green was asleep by the time Pimblett transitioned his triangle into an armbar that grotesquely hyperextended the elbow joint.

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‘Robocop’ Dominant Yet Again

Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues (16-5) had Christian Leroy Duncan’s momentum in a paddywagon after the former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion put on a dominant, well-rounded performance en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Despite Rodrigues's grappling pedigree, the 32-year-old once again showed that his striking can carry a fight. He caught Duncan with clean elbows and punches while staying composed after suffering a nasty cut.

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Allen Guts Out Tough Win

Arnold Allen was on the cusp of a featherweight title shot before dropping back-to-back decisions against Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev, but the Englishmen is back in the picture after edging out a tough win over the dangerous Giga Chikadze (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Allen went against the wishes of his corner and decided to trade with the former kickboxing champion instead of wrestling. The decision nearly cost Allen after he ate a hard knee in the first round. Allen didn’t lose faith, however, and proved that he could hang with the talented striker. He found success countering Chikadze’s kicks and took control of the center of the Octagon. Chikadze (15-4) landed solid shots from the backfoot, but his constant movement hindered him from landing anything that could keep Allen off him. After a back-and-forth fight, Allen’s (20-3) activity and forward movement edged out his first win since Oct. 2022.

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