Leon Edwards‘ coach, Dave Lovell, has dismissed rumors of a personal grudge between Edwards and Belal Muhammad, stating that their potential rematch is not about revenge, but rather about settling unfinished business from their first fight, which ended in a no-contest due to an eye poke.
Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad, they’ve got a score to settle. But, it ain’t personal. That’s what Edwards’ coach, Dave Lovell, says.
Their first fight? It was the main event of a UFC APEX card in Vegas, March 2021. But the match, it ended in a no-contest. An eye poke in the second round, and Muhammad couldn’t continue.
Now, there’s talk of a rematch. And this time, Edwards could be entering as the UFC welterweight champ. Lovell, he remembers how Muhammad had to bow out.
“It’s not about revenge,” Lovell told talkSPORT MMA. He believes that if the eye poke hadn’t happened, Edwards would’ve finished Muhammad in the second round.
Looking back at the fight, Lovell thinks Muhammad was looking for an out. He was trying to steal a decision. The eye poke, the noise he made, the world heard it. But no hospital visit, no eye damage. What does that tell you? Lovell thinks Muhammad tried to play the system. But payback, it’s a b****, Lovell says.
Muhammad, he’s already responded. On social media, he warned Lovell that he plans to dominate Edwards.
“Remember this statement after Round 4 and Leon is looking to you for your motivational speech after I’ve slapped him around for 20 minutes,” Muhammad wrote.
The damage to Muhammad’s eye? It was unclear right after the fight. But later, Muhammad announced there was no permanent damage. He just needed clearance from an eye doc before his next fight.
If a rematch happens, Lovell knows what to expect from Muhammad’s strategy.
“Belal, he can bring all his wrestling A-game,” Lovell said. But he doesn’t see Muhammad wanting to stand and strike with Edwards. He thinks Muhammad will try to grind Leon to the cage, take him down, maul him, and try to steal a decision. But Leon, he’s ready for anything.
Both Edwards and Muhammad, they’re on winning streaks. Edwards has 12 straight wins, Muhammad has nine. Edwards has also won and defended the UFC welterweight title, twice defeating Kamaru Usman and then defending against Colby Covington at UFC 296.
Edwards, he’s got options. Shavkat Rakhmonov, Khamzat Chimaev, and Islam Makhachev, they’re all gunning for him. But Lovell thinks Muhammad will get the call. The UFC is returning to Manchester, England, on July 27. Perfect timing for the Edwards vs. Muhammad grudge match.
“The UFC’s over here in, is it July?” Lovell said. “So no doubt Leon will be on that bill. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make this [UFC 300] bill for whatever reasons. The lads they would put to him, Shavkat, Khamzat, and Islam, they were all fasting. We were ready to go, but it is what it is.
“Because he wasn’t on the 300 bill, no doubt there’s a big Muslim contingency in England, in Manchester, so I think it will be Belal. It’s not written in stone, but 99.9 I think it will be Belal.”