The rivalry between Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards dates back to 2021 when the duo faced each other for the first time at UFC Vegas 21 and competed to get closer to the welterweight championship belt. However, the Palestinian mixed martial artist faced some dangerous eye pokes during the bout. Without a doubt, the entire world of mixed martial arts had their eyes peeled and focused on the Octagon as the doctors stopped the fight. 

The fighting community began wondering if Muhammad had gone completely blind. With the main event ruined and called off, Muhammad was utterly devastated. But did he sustain permanent damage to his eye? Let’s find out!

Does Belal Muhammad have a fake eye?

In the second round of their bout, ‘Rocky’ sent forth a left fist, but the outcome was not what he had expected. ‘Remember The Name’ dropped down screaming with his hands clutching his right eye. Herb Dean, the man who was the referee for their fight, called off the bout and the ringside physician rushed in. The doctor confirmed that the Palestine fighter could not see and hence would not be able to continue with the match.

It was indeed the second time Edwards made such a foul move. But the damage was done and the fight was declared a no-contest. To the fighting world’s relief, Muhammad went on X and sent a tweet to give the fans an update about his injury. He wrote, “My heart is shattered my first main event ended like that but God’s the best of planners im sorry to the fans and the @ufc you deserved a full fight.. Alhamdillah, the vision is coming back and no permanent damage to the eye. I’ll be back and want to run it back, Leon Edwards.” To answer the question that many have previously asked, Muhammad doesn’t have a fake eye. He has completely recovered from the injury.

Dean declared that the eye poke was indeed an accident. However, a picture shared by Dana White on X showed Edwards’ middle finger going into Muhammad’s lower cul-de-sac, making the fight fans squeamish. Nevertheless, with Muhammad’s vision all okay, the fighting community eagerly waited for the duo to face once again. 

Muhammad, in his tweet, promised the fighting community that he would return to complete his bout against Edwards. And he got the chance at UFC 304. 

‘Remember The Name’ got another chance to prove himself against Leon Edwards

After about three years, Muhammad and Edwards are set to face each other in a rematch. Needless to say, the fighters are a perfect match. ‘Rocky’, the current owner of the welterweight championship belt, has an MMA record of 22 wins and just 3 losses. On the other hand, ‘Remember The Name’ boasts the same numbers with just one more win under his name. Coming off with an impressive 5-fight winning streak, Muhammad is going to give it his all and snatch away the championship belt. Meanwhile, Edwards will be defending his title for the third time. 

Did you know that the former champ, Kamaru Usman, previously declared that Muhammad didn’t want to go against anyone else but Edwards? In a conversation on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, Usman said, “I mean, they should have fought a long time ago. I feel like they’ve kind of just been pretty much holding up the division. Bellal won’t fight anyone but Leon. Leon, I don’t know if he’s saying no to anybody or if they’re not offering him anybody.” 

Now that the two are going to finally fight and settle their differences, things might just proceed in the right direction for the welterweight division. Who do you think will emerge victorious at UFC 304? Let us know your pick in the comments below.