Stephen Thompson raved about Belal Muhammad’s conditioning in his title fight vs. Leon Edwards.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defeated Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in a five-round battle to claim the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July.
Thompson credits Muhammad for his long road to the title, which included a suffocating win over him in December 2021.
“Man, the guy’s put in so much work,” Thompson said on Muhammad on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “He’s, I think, on a 10-fight win streak before he even got the chance to get the title. He’s beat me, he’s beat a lot of other guys. I’m happy for the guy. I’m glad that he’s champion, he worked really hard for it.”
Muhammad was able to push a heavy pace with his striking and grappling, overwhelming Edwards for the majority of the fight. Thompson was very impressed with his performance.
“It was unbelievable for one, to be able to beat someone like Leon Edwards who went almost 10 rounds with Kamaru Usman, who beat Colby Covington,” Thompson said. “In my eyes, it didn’t look like the Leon of old. I know he was in shape for the fight, I know it was late.
“But at the same time, I have never seen a cardio or a gas tank on anybody like I did Belal Muhammad that night. Leon Edwards, he tired like a normal athlete. But, freaking Belal Muhammad was just as fresh in the fifth as he was in the first. It was wild, and you could see the fatigue in Leon. But, hats off to him, man.”
