Belal Muhammad knows exactly what it takes to beat both Leon Edwards and Sean Brady—because he’s already done it.
The reigning UFC Welterweight Champion holds wins over both men headlining UFC London, and neither was an easy feat. He handed Brady his first professional loss in 2022 with relentless pressure, securing a standing TKO in the second round. Then, after another victory over Gilbert Burns, Muhammad faced Edwards for the title, dethroning him with a tactical, grinding unanimous decision victory.
Now, as Edwards prepares to battle against Brady, Muhammad is watching closely—and he isn’t holding back his thoughts.
Muhammad Questions Edwards’ Mental Toughness
In the lead-up to the fight, Edwards has been open about the challenges he faced when he lost to Muhammad, citing injuries and the early-morning fight time as factors. But Muhammad isn’t buying it. He believes excuses are a sign of weakness and is predicting that Brady will expose it.
“This guy’s full of excuses—that’s why Brady will beat him,” Muhammad said. “I predict once Brady gets him down two or three times, he’ll find a submission… because Leon’s weak mentally and he’ll have flashbacks from what I did to him.”
It’s a bold claim, but it’s not without merit. Muhammad’s wrestling was a key factor in his win over Edwards, controlling the fight and shutting down the former champ’s striking. Brady, is a skilled grappler in his own right, and Muhammad believes Edwards might break under the pressure.
Brady thinks so too.
“A lot of those guys are strictly wrestlers,” Brady told reporters. “Like Colby’s a wrestler, Kamaru’s a wrestler. If you look at their records, none of them really have submissions.
“I just think I’m like a much bigger submission threat than a lot of the guys he’s fought, and I think I’m the biggest submission threat in the division. So, I’m a different level of grappler.”
Brady’s Biggest Test Yet
During media day, Brady seemed really focused, saying that all he wants is to get his hand raised and that he’s not thinking about the future.
“I’m not trying to get a title shot out of this,” Brady said. “I’m not trying to rush it. That’s what I did before in my career. I went into the Belal (Muhammad) fight pushing for it so hard and it turned out that wasn’t the night for me. So, I’m going to go out there, I’m going to do my job, get my hand raised by any means necessary, and then wherever I go from there, I go.”
Putting all the drama aside, this fight does promise to be a good one. Both fighters want a crack at Belal, and both are going to unleash hell to get there.
