MMA Preview – Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21
LEON EDWARDS VS BELAL MUHAMMAD FACTS
When is UFC Vegas 21? Saturday 13th March, 2021 - 23:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 21? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 21? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 21 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 21? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
LEON EDWARDS VS BELAL MUHAMMAD LOWDOWN
At last, Leon Edwards (18-3) is back in the cage. Nearly 20 months he has been on the side lines waiting for a fight he deserves. He finally got that fight with Tyron Woodley at UFC Fight Night 183, but it was the first event to get cancelled due to COVID-19. More time went by and in the meantime Khamzat Chimaev was causing a storm and calling everybody out and Edwards eventually caved in and accepted the fight. In another twist of bad luck they both contracted COVID-19 forcing two scheduling to be cancelled. It seemed Edwards was never going to catch a break but Belal Muhammad has stepped up in attempts to snap Edwards’ eight-fight winning streak with his latest wins being decisions over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos back in July 2019.
Belal Muhammad (18-3) steps up to replace Chimaev fresh off his unanimous decision win over Dhiego Lima last month. Muhammad has also quietly risen up the rankings over the years with his only loss in his last nine fights being a unanimous decision loss to Geoff Neal. Since then, he has eased passed Curtis Millender, Takashi Sato, Lyman Good and Lima in unanimous decisions apart from Sato who he submitted to earn the ‘performance of the night’.
LEON EDWARDS VS BELAL MUHAMMAD PREDICTION
They match-up very similarly on paper as very strong grapplers but Edwards has the slight edge in the striking department along with a two-inch reach and three-inch height advantage.
Edwards is also the favourite despite the difference in activity and Muhammad is certainly a live dog, but we are backing Edwards. He has continued to train like a maniac and he has a heavy chip on his shoulder desperate to prove a lot of people including his haters wrong by earning a number one contender spot.
He has not earnt many fans which is in part due to his lack of finishing, and we expect him to earn another decision here. Muhammad’s strengths lie in his wrestling, but Edwards has the skill and power to stuff the takdowns and his patented elbows will always be a threat coming out of the clinch.
Muhammad has a very high fight IQ but we have not seen enough from him to suggest he can knock Edwards out or submit him so he will have to out strike or out wrestle him which nobody has done since Kamaru Usman back in 2015.
This should still be a close fight, but Edwards will not slow down for five rounds and if he can target Muhammad’s calf like Lima did, he can slow him down to cruise the championship rounds.
Prediction: Edwards via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Muhammad via Decision
