This blog post is for the people who will question Belal Muhammad for not continuing at UFC Fight Night 187.
On Saturday night at the UFC Apex, Muhammad was the victim of a nasty eye poke just 18 seconds into the second round of his welterweight headliner against Leon Edwards. It was actually the second eye poke of the fight, with referee Herb Dean warning Edwards for an infraction in the first round.
When it happened a second time, you knew almost instantly the fight was over based on Muhammad’s body language, hearing him shriek while down on the canvas, and seeing the eye swollen shut.
It was unquestionably bad, but if you need any further proof of just how bad the eye poke was, then look at this photo tweeted by UFC President Dana White:
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 14, 2021
The fight was ruled a no contest after Dean determined the poke was accidental, which is unfortunate and unfulfilling for both men, as well as fans.
But MMA Twitter, I’m asking nicely: Please don’t be dumb about this. It’s not Muhammad’s fault.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Dana White shares photo showing just how badly Belal Muhammad’s eye was poked
