UFC 304: Belal Muhammad becomes first Palestinian UFC champion

UFC 304 took place on Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester, England and was headlined by a a welterweight title bout between champion Leon Edwards and second-ranked Belal Muhammad in a rematch. The two first fought in March 2021, but the bout ended in a No Contest after an accidental eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue.

Edwards successfully defended the 170-pound title twice since winning it in August 2022, but that all came to a crashing halt on Saturday when a new champion was crowned after the UFC 304 main event.  Muhammad largely dominated Edwards to capture UFC gold.  

Muhammad secured a takedown early in the opening round after stalking Edwards down with strikes.  He elevated the champion and slammed him to the canvas.  Edwards worked his way back to his feet but it was Muhammad winning the striking exchanges.  In the closing moments of the round, Muhammad took Edwards down a second time easily winning the round.

Muhammad continued to take Edwards own in the second frame, slamming the then-champion on his head at one point. In the third, Edwards mounted some offense and controlled the challenger for the duration of the round.  

Muhammad rebounded and dominated Edwards in the fourth round and much of the fifth.  Edwards mounted a comeback but it was too little too late.  When the dust settled, the judges scored the fight for Muhammad via unanimous decision.  The official scorecards read 48–47, 48–47, and 49–46.