Manchester — New UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad had a simple message following his win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester.
“I told you so.”
Speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press, Muhammad (24-3, 1NC), off a mostly one-sided decision win against Edwards, explained that “for me, like I said, the people that I have around me— my team, my coaches— we believed in us. I don’t need the world to believe in me, I don’t need anybody to believe in me, I don’t need applause. We know how good we are. We know what we’re capable of doing. And now, we’re the world champions.”
Muhammad’s long awaited title shot, and victory, came against the backdrop of his native Palestine once again warring with Israel. The conflict has dragged on for decades, but erupted anew following a Hamas-led terror attack last October. Over 1100 Israelis were killed on October 7, 2023, and hundreds kidnapped. In the violence that has played out in the months that followed, over 38,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, with hundreds of thousands displaced.
Despite the turmoil in his ancestral home, Muhammad said during Saturday’s UFC 304 post-fight press conference that the situation “wasn’t pressure. It just showed me really how this fight wasn’t important. It wasn’t that big. Because they’re fighting for their lives. They’re dying every single day.”
“I woke up today, and you’re seeing people dying. And it’s telling you how small this sport is, how small this fight is. So when I sit there and I stress out about it, it’s like, it’s just a fight. It’s 25 minutes. But I’m still going to go see my family after this, I’m still going to go eat what I want to eat after this. They’re starving over there. They’re dying over there.”
After Muhammad’s win, top welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov took to social media to request a title shot. Muhammad appears game.
“Yeah of course. I’ve literally never turned down a fight, I’ve never backed down from anybody,” Belal stated. “I’ve had so many people turn down fights against me. So now I’m at the top, I’m the man. For me, now it’s cementing my legacy as the best welterweight to ever do it. I’m not going to sit there and call out these random guys and everything. Who’s next in line, who’s the best in line? And I’m going to show you what I am, what I can do. They thought Leon could walk through me, now I’m going to walk through all these other guys.”
Watch the full UFC 304 post-fight press conference with Belal Muhammad above.
