Dana White Finally Gives Belal Muhammad His Title Shot; Leon Edwards Team Says Fight “99.9 Percent” Done

Current welterweight champion Leon Edwards might face Belal Muhammad next. His longtime coach, Dave Lovell, revealed the news in a recent interview. Edwards and Muhammad have been waiting for a long time to fight each other. However, the battle never materialized for multiple reasons.

It now seems that the two best fighters in the division will finally clash against each other. Belal Muhammad is one of the complete fighters in the division. His recent form has also been outstanding, which pushes his case for a title shot next. So, with little delay, let us find out what coach Lovell had to share with the fans.

Leon Edward’s coach feels he might face Belal Muhammad next

Lovell recently appeared for an interview with TalkSport MMA. While speaking to the host Kweku Afari, he shared the next big fights coming up for ‘Rocky. Lovell said, “Because he wasn’t on the 300 bill, no doubt there’s a big Muslim contingency in England in Manchester. So I think it will be Belal. It’s not written in stone, but 99.9 percent. I think it will be Belal.”

The date for the next fight is yet to be announced. However, Edwards was all set to feature at UFC 300. ‘Rocky’s’ longtime manager in his latest interview revealed the exact details. He also shared that the champion was offered three different opponents for UFC 300. Despite agreeing to fight all three, he was yet to find a place at the historic card. Let us take a look at the exact details as revealed by Tim Simpson.

Leon Edward’s manager reveals the real reason for him missing UFC 300

Leon Edwards was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 296. ‘Rocky’ successfully defended his title against Colby Covington. After his win, UFC Chief Business Officer (CBO), Hunter Campbell approached the champion to get to know about his next plans. In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Tim Simpson shared the exact details of the conversation. According to him, Edwards was given three opponents for his next fight. Simpson said, “Right after he fought Colby in December, Hunter [Campbell] came into the back… And I said ‘So what are we doing?’… And he was like ‘300’. And I told Leon ‘you might be on 300’… And I said to Hunter ‘Belal?’ And he’s like ‘we’ll see.’” 

He further clarified how things lined up in the coming months. Simpson mentioned, “And then as we got closer, January… they said ‘What about Khamzat Chimaev’? That’s what they were working on. For whatever reason, he couldn’t come he said Ramadan and weight.” Finally, he revealed that despite showing his willingness to fight at UF 300, the UFC could not get him an opponent.

Will Leon Edwards defend his title in 2024 next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.