MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 21, a five-round welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The event takes place on Saturday, March 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Leon Edwards (-260)
Edwards (18-3) is the No. 3 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 29-year-old Brit is 10-2 overall in the UFC and he is currently riding an eight-fight win streak, with victories over Rafael dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone, Bryan Barberena, and Vicente Luque. Edwards is a well-rounded fighter who has good striking skills, solid wrestling, and great cardio. He has mostly been dominating the competition over the years in the Octagon using a complete mixed martial arts game. For the last few years, many fans have considered Edwards a legitimate title contender at 170lbs, but he has had trouble getting into the cage due to a number of COVID-19 related issues in regards to fizzled fights against Tyron Woodley and Khamzat Chimaev. Now that Edwards is healthy, he’s ready to go here against Muhammad in what should be a great fight between two top-15 fighters.
Belal Muhammad (+200)
Muhammad (18-3) is the No. 13 ranked welterweight in the UFC. The 32-year-old American has been hot as of late, having won his last four fights and eight of his last nine fights, including victories over the likes of Tim Means, Randy Brown, Lyman Good, Takashi Sato, and Dhiego Lima. Muhammad is a well-rounded fighter who has no problem standing and trading but he generally prefers to take his opponents to the mat. He has an excellent double leg takedown and we have seen that throughout his career as he’s been able to take a number of his opponents to the mat and control them there. He is very good at taking the back and has several wins via rear-naked choke. As well, Muhammad has really good cardio and is able to fight a hard 15 minutes. He has stayed pretty active lately and is coming off of a decision win over Lima just a few weeks ago. It will be interesting to see how Muhammad is able to handle the step up in competition to Edwards.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a competitive main event between two quality welterweights in Edwards and Muhammad. Looking back through the careers of both men, they’re both very well-rounded and durable, so this one seems likely to go the distance. Edwards is a bit sharper on the feet and does more damage, but Muhammad is the better wrestler, so it will be interesting to see who can implement their gameplan. Edwards’ long layoff is the biggest problem here, as Muhammad has remained active and has improved inside the Octagon since the last time Edwards fought. Still, Edwards has a high upside in the sport, and I’ve always said he’ll fight for the belt one day, so I have to pick him here despite the concern about the long layoff. All signs point to Edwards defeating Muhammad for a decision in this one, but the underdog should make it a good fight.
Prediction: Leon Edwards
