Belal Muhammad didn’t have to wait until UFC 304, or even the first faceoff of fight week, to size up Leon Edwards. That already happened.
Speaking with MMA Junkie Radio on Tuesday, Muhammad detailed what happened earlier in the day during a chance elevator run-in with Edwards, brother Fabian Edwards, coach Dave Lovell, and about “six or seven guys” total from Team Edwards.
“I just saw him right now in the elevator. He looked like he was afraid,” said Muhammad, adding that he was only with one other person. “Him and his brother and his coach, they all looked like cowards. His coach was trying to talk a little bit of trash, so I’m hoping that his coach is at the press conference, because I know Leon’s not gonna be able to talk.”
Muhammad said Edwards and Co. entered the same elevator that he was riding first. Muhammad said Edwards was largely quiet, and that it was Lovell who did most of the talking.
“I was already on,” Muhammad said. “He wouldn’t be confident enough to stay in the elevator if my group was walking in. He would walk out. For me, we stayed on. They thought they were gonna be cooler or try to be tougher, but I smelled fear. …
“Leon didn’t say a word. His coach was talking, but he just has a weird, stupid accent, and he kind of sounds like he has autism or he’s slow. I don’t know what he was saying, but he didn’t sound smart at all.”
Given that a UFC camera crew follows main event fighters for the “Embedded” series during fight week, there’s a good chance video of the encounter will soon emerge, although it’s unclear if cameras were present at the time.
Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC) and Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) headline UFC 304 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) on Saturday from Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The fight is a rematch of their March 2021 bout that ended in a no contest after a nasty eye poke by Edwards in the second round.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
