Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad clash for the second time in their careers, and hopefully, this event will be much more entertaining than the previous one, which had to be stopped. Rocky is a champion now, while Belal chases the UFC welterweight belt, which gives this clash a completely different dimension.
The clash they had a few years ago was one-sided before it had to be stopped. Up to that moment, Edwards was clearly the superior fighter, but an accidental eye poke ruined what was supposed to be a clear win.
This needs to be the official UFC 304 poster 😠pic.twitter.com/tkOkYWR9lt
— Elon Rakhmonov 🇦🇺 (@ElonRakhmonov) July 22, 2024
Another battle on our menu is between the UFC interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, and Curtis Blaydes. These guys also met in the past, with Blaydes winning, but solely because Aspinall was injured, and the official had to stop the event.
Leon Edwards VS Belal Muhammad Preview
Edwards has been unstoppable in the last nine years, as he has not suffered a single defeat throughout that stretch. Kamaru Usman was the last guy to defeat Rocky, and that was in December 2015.
The English fighter got even with Kamaru with that fantastic leg-to-head kick in Salt Lake when he took the title, and after that, in their trilogy match, he once outperformed one of the greatest welterweight champions ever. He would also defeat Colby Covington in a title defense afterward.
An athletic build, long reach, and a diverse array of offensive techniques are what separates Edwards from all other rivals in his division. But not only that. Rocky’s pace is relentless, and his takedown defense has notably improved post-Usman. We saw him competing with Kamaru, who did not allow him to impose his own tempo and rhythm.
Like his rival, Belal has been undefeated for a long time—five years. He defeated Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia, Vincente Luque, and, most notably, Gilbert Burns. Luque beat Belal previously via KO, but Muhammad bounced back and got even with the Silent Assasin.
Belal is not too attractive to watch because he dismantles rivals through discipline and constant pressure. He won’t knock out no one because that’s not his style, and you won’t see some dazzling power punches from this guy. He instead sucks the energy from his opponent, constantly moving and poking with extremely fast combos, not losing the edge or focus for a single moment.
So far he had 23 wins and three defeats, which tells enough about him. Now, 17 victories were via decision, and this speaks even more. As we said he is relentless with cardio and stamina.
Leon Edwards VS Belal Muhammad Predictions
Edwards will win, and that’s solely because of his power and his reach. He won’t allow Belal to come near, and on the other hand, even though he might not have the stamina as his rival, power is absolutely on Leon’s side. Belal’s stamina won’t help him here.
Tom Aspinall VS Curtis Blaydes Preview
In his previous appearance, Brit KOD Sergei Pavlovich had his 11th career win, all via KO. Furthermore, all of them were in the opening sequence, which displays Aspinall’s strength in his fists. He also knows how to be dangerous on the mat but prefers to solve everything while in stand-up.
Aspinall’s cardio was never tested because his fights didn’t last long. And may we say that his rivals were pretty tough – Alexander Volkov, Andrei Arlovski, Sergei Spivac, etc.
Blaydes is an elite wrestler and probably the guy with the best cardio in the heavyweight division. But on the other side, his chin is too weak, and all four defeats he posted so far were via KO, twice against Ngannou and once against Lewis and Pavlovich.
Razor, as the fans call him, was always near the top but never managed to win anything. Some would say that he’s too good for mediocre fighters but way too weak for the elite, and this might be his last chance for a breakthrough on the top.
Tom Aspinall VS Curtis Blaydes Predictions
On one side, there is a guy whose punches are like Thor’s hammer. On the other, there is an elite wrestler with a fragile chin. No need to explain why we bet on Aspinall.
Odds for this matchup can be found here.
