Leon Edwards felt 'tired from the timing' in UFC 304 title loss to Belal Muhammad, wants late 2024 return

Leon Edwards admits he felt slugging in the days leading up to UFC 304 as he attempted to get acclimated for the unusual timing of his title defense against Belal Muhammad, and it translated into his performance.

Edwards (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) saw his reign as welterweight champion come to an end Saturday with a unanimous decision defeat to Muhammad (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. It was a tough outing for “Rocky,” who was taken down in the opening moments of the fight, spiked on his head in the second round and controlled for more than 12 minutes overall, according to UFC stats.

There was no point over the five rounds where Edwards ever truly threatened a finish, and in his immediate in-cage interview with Daniel Cormier after Muhammad was announced the winner and new champion, he said it was hard to get his momentum going after the bout began at approximately 5:37 a.m. local time.

“I’m not surprised (by Belal’s performance),” Edwards told Cormier. “My body just felt tired from Round 1. All week, I’ve been feeling just tired from the timing. But congrats to Belal. He got the job done and we’ll get it back again.”

Edwards made it clear he does not intend to sit on the result for long. He wants to get back to the octagon this year, but it remains to be seen who that would be against after UFC CEO Dana White said at the UFC 304 post-fight news conference that he would not be getting an immediate rematch with Muhammad.

“I would like to get one more this year,” Edwards said. “So whenever – November or December – I’m ready to go. One more this year. I’m ready to go.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.