Belal Muhammad earns decision victory over Leon Edwards in Manchester

Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision to become the new UFC welterweight champion in the main event of UFC 304 at the Co-op Live in Manchester.

Jamaica-born, Birmingham-raised Edwards was crowned 170lb champion with a last-round knockout of Kamaru Usman in August 2022 and he outpointed the Nigerian-American the following year in his first defence.

Edwards claimed a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington in a grudge bout in his most recent outing in December to extend his unbeaten streak in mixed martial arts to 13 fights.

That run came to an end on Sunday morning as Muhammad outlasted Edwards over five arduous rounds, with judges scoring the contest 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 in favour of the American.

The bout was a rematch from March 2021, when a no-contest was called after Edwards’ accidental eye-poke early in the second round rendered Muhammad unable to continue.

Elsewhere on the card, Salford’s Tom Aspinall avenged a previous loss to Curtis Blaydes, retaining his interim heavyweight title with a knockout victory in the first round.

And Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett clinched a spot in the top-15 lightweight rankings with a first-round submission victory over Bobby Green.