With less than a week to go, the highly anticipated clash between #2-ranked welterweight contender Belal Muhammad and current welterweight champion Leon Edwards. This headline bout at UFC 304 in Manchester marks the UFC’s return to the city since 2016. Set for July 27th in Manchester, England, Muhmmad has his sights set on the welterweight title and is leaving no room for excuses as he prepares to dethrone the primarily striking Edwards.

To counter Edwards’ style, Muhamamd has been sharing his boxing skills with a veteran coach. Recently, a social media video surfaced showing Belal Muhammad working on his pads with his coach, who praised Muhammad’s Mexican-style boxing, even comparing it to top-ranked boxers.

Belal Muhammad’s coach issues a warning to Leon Edwards

Belal Muhammad, currently training under head coach Roberto Ramirez and Nicasio Sanchez, was featured in a recent upload by the UFC YouTube channel titled “UFC 304 Embedded: Vlog Series Episode 1.” The clip shows Muhammad’s training session with Ramirez, who issues a warning to Leon Edwards.

Ramirez boasts, “His [Belal Muhammad] hands, they are really, really good right now. They are sharp, they are fast. We got him the Mexican boxing style. If you guys know Canelo, Marcus, all those guys.”

Coach Ramirez further added, “Belal has hands like that right now. So Leon better be ready for that.” However, this isn’t the first time Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad will meet inside the octagon. In 2021, they were scheduled to fight at a UFC Fight Night event, but the bout was ruled a no-contest after an accidental eye poke from Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue.

Muhammad believes he’s significantly improved since then, as evidenced by his interviews and training with UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov after returning from his absence. He recently claimed in an interview that history will repeat itself when he steps into the octagon at UFC 304. Muhammad aims to replicate what Khabib Nurmagomedov did to Conor McGregor at UFC 229 by defeating Leon Edwards.

Belal Muhammad vows to repeat history

UFC 229 is famous for one of its most iconic fights: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. The bout built on heated emotions and trash talk, culminating in a post-fight brawl. Despite the controversy, it’s considered a landmark fight within the UFC, one that many fighters have tried to replicate but haven’t quite reached the same level of intensity. Now, Belal Muhammad aims to try his luck, as revealed in his latest interview with MMA Junkie.

Belal Muhammad plans to escalate the rivalry after the fight. He stated in an interview, “I think I’m going to literally walk to his corner and do the Khbib things. Throw my mouthpiece at them, laugh at them, point, and maybe hop over the fence and jump on his brother.” Notably, Leon Edwards hasn’t provoked Muhammad with trash talk, yet Muhammad seems intent on intensifying the fight by any means possible.

By involving Leon Edwards’ brother in his trash talk, Belal Muhammad has taken the first step towards amplifying the intensity of their fight. It’s unclear whether this strategy positions Muhammad as a Khabib Nurmaogomedov-style champion or a Conor Mcgregor-esque provocateur. So far, Edwards has remained silent in response to Muhammad’s taunts. We’ll keep you updated if he decides to retaliate. Stay tuned!