Why Belal Muhammad would rather ‘torture’ Leon Edwards than finish him

MANCHESTER, England – Belal Muhammad desires to beat Leon Edwards in convincing and dominant trend.

Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) challenges welterweight champion Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 304 (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+) headliner at Co-op Stay in Manchester, England.

After amassing a 10-fight unbeaten streak, Muhammad will each lastly get a title shot, in addition to an opportunity to run issues again with Edwards. He desires to erase any doubt from their no contest in 2021.

“I wish to torture him,” Muhammad instructed reporters, together with MMA Junkie, on the UFC 304 media day. “I need him to understand how a lot better I’m than him. While you go on the market and get a end, individuals are like, ‘Oh, you bought fortunate. It occurred due to that.’

“I (wish to) go on the market and dominate him and beat him in all points of MMA – wrestling, grappling, hanging, jiu-jitsu, get him to the purpose of constructing him wish to give up. I wish to torture him. I need him to the purpose of taking a look at his coaches and his coaches don’t have anything to say they usually stroll away as a result of they’re embarrassed.”

Muhammad went so far as saying he hates Edwards and defined why this rematch is so private for him.

“It’s very private as a result of while you have a look at his path to the title and the way in which he did it, it’s similar to mine,” Muhammad stated. “He needed to go the lengthy street. No person was respecting him, no one gave him a shot, and I took a combat on quick discover in opposition to him and he dedicated the foul, he injured me, and the combat received stopped due to that. On my finish, it was my first essential occasion. This was purported to be my spot, my time to shine, and it was taken from me by him, and he wouldn’t give me one other shot after which he tried to play it off like, ‘I might have received anyway.’ While you put that narrative on the market, followers are like, ‘He’s in all probability proper.’

“So from there on out, I simply had that behind my thoughts – I had that dangerous style behind my head this complete time that I wish to see what would have occurred. Then I’m dominating all these guys they usually’re nonetheless disrespecting my streak – him, his coach, his crew, they’re nonetheless saying he’s not subsequent. We’d like any individual else. So the disrespect he had, he felt it, and he began giving it to me. In order that’s what pissed me off. That’s what’s pushing me to hate the man. That’s what’s making me excited to make him bleed, make him break.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 304.