Leon Edwards issues first statement after Belal Muhammad title loss at UFC 304

Leon Edwards promises to rise again after UFC 304.

That’s the message the now former welterweight champion issued on Monday along with an apology to his fans after he fell to Belal Muhammad in the UFC 304 main event. It was a tough night at the office for Edwards after he surrendered nine takedowns and over 12 minutes of control time to Muhammad, who left Manchester as the new champion after a unanimous decision win.

“To my fans I’m sorry I couldn’t get the job done this time,” Edwards wrote on Instagram. “I have been through harder times than this in life and I will rise again. Thanks for all the love and support I will get this back in blood.”

The loss to Muhammad snapped a 13-fight unbeaten streak for Edwards dating back to 2016. That run included his stunning fifth-round knockout over Kamaru Usman to win the UFC welterweight title, which was then followed by two title defenses including a lopsided win over Colby Covington this past December.

Unfortunately, Edwards’ impressive run was finally stunted by Muhammad, who came into the main event as a sizable underdog but ultimately delivered on his promise to largely dominate the fight. Muhammad’s game plan involved constant pressure mixed with takedowns and that seemed to throw Edwards off across almost every round in the fight.

Edwards’ best moment came in the third round when he reversed a takedown from Muhammad and took his back for the majority of the five-minute session. Sadly, Edwards was unable to do much damage or threaten with submissions.

By the fifth round, Edwards saw Muhammad take his back in similar fashion as he continued to wear away at the 32-year-old veteran across the 25-minute fight. In the end, Muhammad cruised to victory as he claimed his first UFC title while Edwards fell to defeat for the first time since his initial matchup against Usman eight years ago.

Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White shot down the idea about an immediate rematch with Edwards saying in his post-fight interview that he wanted to compete at least one more time in 2024 with hopes of returning in either November or December.