Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Belal Muhammad on defeating Leon Edwards to claim the UFC Men's Welterweight
Championship title at UFC 304 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
MANCHESTER, England, July 28,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- 36-Year-Old MMA Athlete
from Chicago Takes 170-Pound Division Champion by Unanimous
Decision.
"We have a real champion in Chicago now!" - Belal
Muhammad
Please welcome the new Champion! Monster Energy congratulates
MMA athlete Belal Muhammad on
defeating Leon Edwards to claim the
UFC Men's Welterweight Championship title at UFC 304 in
Manchester, United Kingdom. In the
event's headline fight, the 36-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, battled his opponent for
five rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory.
UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad 2 was contested in front of 17,900
spectators inside the Co-op Live venue in Manchester, England. Featuring five fights on
the Main Card, the event was broadcast live on ESPN, and the
Prelims streamed on the ESPN+ platform.
Monster Energy's Muhammad (24-3) stepped into the Octagon in
Manchester on a ten-fight win
streak and has been undefeated since April
2019. The American fighter, born to Palestinian parents in
Chicago, most recently defeated
Brazilian Gilbert Burns at UFC 288
in May 2023.
Muhammad's opponent was the reigning UFC Men's Welterweight
Champion, 32-year-old Edwards (22-4) from Kingston, Jamaica. Edwards took the title from
Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August
2022 and mastered two successful title defenses.
UFC 304 was a rematch for the two opponents: Muhammad and
Edwards had first clashed in the Octagon at a UFC Fight Night in
March 2021. Their fight was ruled a
'no contest' after Muhammad suffered an accidental eye poke. With
the Bantamweight title on the line, the rematch in Manchester would finally settle the score.
From the start, Muhammad pressured the reigning champion with
high-volume strikes that put Edwards on the defense. No longer able
to resort to his notorious striking, Edwards found himself
overpowered by Muhammad's grappling and ground control.
Although Edwards successfully evaded the challenger's submission
attempts, Muhammad effectively controlled the fight and set the
pace. A key scene unfolded in the second round when Muhammad
slammed Edwards head-first into the ground, followed by near
submissions over the following rounds. Although Muhammad absorbed
heavy shots to the body and a fierce elbow in the final moments of
the fight, he retained the upper hand.
Ultimately, the win was undeniable: Over the course of the
five-round bout, Muhammad dominated his opponent with nine
successful takedowns, racking up a total of 12:02 minutes of
control time. The judges scored the night's headline fight a
unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) for Muhammad to
claim the 170-pound division championship title.
"We have a real champion in Chicago now!" said Monster Energy's Muhammad
after claiming the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 304 in
Manchester, adding: "He said I'm
no Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or Georges
St-Pierre. I'm Belal
Muhammad! I'm my own man. Now, the world knows it and sees
it. Now, they have to respect it. I'm a world champion."
Belal makes history as the first UFC champion of Palestinian
descent. With the win, he became the first fighter above the age of
35 to unseat a UFC champion in weight classes 170 pounds and below.
Muhammad made his UFC debut in 2016 and made himself an undeniable
force with consecutive high-profile victories. His victory streak
now stands at 11 wins. Remember the name!
Belal Muhammad counts among
Monster Energy's elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman,
Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Rose Namajunas, Marlon Vera, Michael
Chandler, Justin Gaethje,
Yair Rodriguez, Jessica-Rose Clark, Valentina Shevchenko,
Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Punahele Soriano, Gilbert Burns, Giga Chikadze, Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush, Gaston Bolanos, Brendan
Allen, Jalin Turner,
Sean Strickland, Zhang Weili, Dan
Ige, Diego Lopes, Alex Pereira, Daniel
Zellhuber, Derrick Lewis,
Alexa Grasso, and Cameron Saaiman.
For more on Monster Energy's MMA athletes, visit
http://www.monsterenergy.com. You can also follow Monster Energy on
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California,
Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and
alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional,
Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross,
off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or
the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that
believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes,
and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life
lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more
about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at
http://www.monsterenergy.com.
Media Contact
Kimberly Paige Dresser, Indie
Agency, Inc., (949) 300-5546, kim.dresser@indiepragency.com,
https://www.indiepragency.com
Twitter
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