Leon Edwards has his sights set on a shot at redemption against Belal Muhammad before year’s end. To that, however, the UFC welterweight champion has told his rival not to hold his breath.
Edwards’ reign as kingpin at 170 pounds came to an end last July when he headlined the UFC 304 pay-per-view on home soil in Manchester, England.
Following successful defenses opposite Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, “Rocky” was looking to continue his pursuit of Georges St-Pierre’s divisional records at the expense of a former adversary in Muhammad.
But while the Jamaica-born Brit largely got the better of exchanges in their first fight before it came to a premature end due to an eye poke, the same can’t be said for their rematch, which was largely dominated by the challenger.
In the aftermath, Edwards put the blame on the early morning fight time and has vowed to reclaim the gold by the end of 2025. His journey toward accomplishing that starts with a London main event opposite Sean Brady on March 22.
But although the former champ expects a victory to net him a shot at the belt, Muhammad has laughed off any suggestion of a trilogy fight coming to fruition anytime soon.
“(laughing) someone tell him he got three long years ahead of him,” Muhammad wrote on X.
Muhammad’s comments mark a turn of the tables of sorts, with the reigning champ long accusing Edwards of avoiding their rematch following the no contest at the Apex back in 2021.
“Remember the Name” waited three years before being given his first opportunity at the title, one which he ultimately made the most of across the pond last year.
