Leon Edwards: No One Will Remember Belal Muhammad’s Name After UFC 304 | The MMA Hour

Leon Edwards discusses his UFC 304 title defense against Belal Muhammad, the time of the main event, UFC 300, his first fight against Muhammad, Colby Covington, MVP’s debut, Conor McGregor, and more.

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4f1JueVgo5t9HSmobCRPug/join

Subscribe to MMA Fighting on YouTube: http://goo.gl/dYpsgH

Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: http://Apple.co/themmahour
Subscribe to The MMA Hour on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0NUQhyUeYQcbtHOV10qmbb
Subscribe to MMA Fighting feed on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mma-fighting/id320642139

Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/u8VvLi
Visit our playlists: http://goo.gl/eFhsvM
Like MMAF on Facebook: http://goo.gl/uhdg7Z
Follow on Twitter: http://goo.gl/nOATUI
Read More: http://www.mmafighting.com

MMA Fighting is your home for exclusive interviews, live shows, and more for one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. Get latest news and more here: http://www.mmafighting.com

is he there is he really there ah he’s there Leon Leon where have you been my whole life Leon my gosh I don’t believe on my eyes uh Leon where can you tell me where do I need to send you my firstborn son because I told Tim that I was gonna um I was gonna I was gonna I was going to like donate him I was going to sacrifice him because it was so hard to get you on the show so now I have to sacrifice my first born it’s been so long Leon it’s so good to see you where have you been are you alive and well oh wow all good um sting out live and just getting on with it you know um head down got I got big ear head to me so just so [ __ ] out okay well congratulations on the next assignment uh it is July 27th in Manchester there’s a lot I want to talk to you about and I’m not trying to yeah keep on with this but it has been a while since we spoke uh so good so I if I can just start with this you are fighting on um July 27th and it’s been sort of maligned by the fans that this event is happening in in the middle of the night to cater to the American audience as someone who lives in the UK how do you feel about this cuz you’ll be fighting at approximately five or so am correct yeah about five five five five 5 I think yeah um so I’m TR to just went to adjust my my time zones and to to accommodate that you know but um I feel like it it should have been an normal time in UK you know like Dana White came out say Awards of fans and in Europe and UK and I think it would have been brilliant to do that you know but is what it is I SP to Hunter and said I do it in like normal time the PVS um in America um because of that so yeah but the part that I don’t quite understand is your fight against um kamaru was normal time in the UK so why is this soly I don’t know I think they said um the pay-per-view was already book for Utah right and they so the slot was already booked in so when they changed it to Manchester they couldn’t change also the time um with the TV station and that’s the reason why he’s staying on that time I think so yeah is what it is you have your gym obviously your home base in uh Birmingham uh have you considered training for this fight on American time or even in America so that you’re not you know falling asleep as you’re warming up backstage like how are you going to adapt how are you going to change your body clock um I’m going to adjust um I got like a great sleep specialist guy got a meeting with him on Thursday so I’ll figure it out what he says and just go from there with my team I got a smart team around me and we’ve been winning now for8 nine years so we know what we’re doing and how to approach um the changes you know and I done before when I for Manchester and that was like 3 in the morning I think yeah but I found I found that out and like a fight with I didn’t know that you didn’t realize no UFC 204 the Bisping card yeah yeah gez L it’s crazy right so I found 204 now this going be 304 which is is crazy so yeah that’s mad so yeah that’s at 3 in the morning I found out on a Tuesday want to check 10 to the hotel you find out fre in the morning I was like okay so after adjust that that night that week you know and um got the win and so is what it is now I got 10 weeks to prepare and get everything in order and um OB say what a like for the fans for it to be nor more time and um I feel it would have been way better but like I said it is what it is are you stressing about this about what about just the middle of the night like you want to Peak as an athlete you don’t want to be competing at 5: a.m. are you worried about it are you stressing about it nah nah not at all like I said it’s at the start it was like frustrating but now it’s like it’s what you got to get all your dos in order right like what do I need to do to make sure I’m at Peak Performance come F night you know so that’s where I’m at now and get getting it all sorted out and I’ll been not more than ready okay um obviously it’s Bal you guys fought a few years ago it ended somewhat unceremoniously uh are you happy that it’s him that you can finally put this one behind you once and for all yeah 100% you guys have been you s him s on social media for the longest you know so 100% I’ve been trying to fight bow now for a while um like I said I got asked for 300 I said yes to everyone there three opponents said yes I even said what what about bow no was is that true is is it really true Islam shut and Hamza they asked you for those three yeah and then I was like I’ll fight youever because I know for that the card is such a huge card and would have been done great for my career you know so I said I’ll fight um whoever there is and um I even said after them fre said no I said what about Bel um they didn’t even entertain it so is what it is I saw a quote around this time from him where he said that this was more of an indictment on you that they felt like you as a champion I’m paraphrasing here okay so don’t go get all crazy on me but that you weren’t the one that could you know carry this on your own 300 against him so they were looking for a big name dance partner and it wasn’t an indictment on him that they didn’t offer it it was an indictment on you did you hear that quote I didn’t hear that quote no but I don’t really listen to what B says to be honest with you he tweets every day about me so I can’t get lost in the whatever he’s doing you know and um but I don’t know how he works out you know I think like he’s number one contender in the division to going outside my division to get someone else to fight me just because whatever reason what um with the USC’s not big enough name to headline US georia mean so it is like keep blaming me for Miss opportunities but I’m not the one making fights I’m not the one offering fights I’m not the one pay paying them you know so it is what it is when it come to me I said yes and that’s it were you disappointed to ultimately not be on UFC 300 yeah 100% because I know what it would have done for my career and what a big moment that was you know so to become for the 12 tribulation I went through in my career then be a to head line us 300 it would have been like a moment for me you know but like I said it is what it is and U we got um no one’s remember his name in in Manchester so all good I see what you did there um I remember I remember around New Year’s when you were um you were honored at the Aston Villa match and you were telling reporters there it’s looking like 300 and that was you know late December did you start training for 300 and at some point have to pull back when it became clear because it took so long for them to announce the main event and we thought for a while yeah 100% so you did yeah yeah yeah I did I thought Camp because I I talk to the UA I was like h I’m a def fight I could just keep training keep training we’re trying to find the opponent you know and so I was training for at least a a little while you know and um we got the news I weren’t fine and kind of like pull it back a little bit and went back into that normal training camp you know um around UFC 300 we had your manager Tim Simpson on the show and he was talking about this fight as well and around that time uh Bal tweeted Leon his manager his coach his brother all [ __ ] uh and then you replied all four of these men would beat the fight loliing fight I saw I feel like I Tim beats him they beats him they all beat him my brother would kill him you know I mean so I feel like he needs to like just calm down and I don’t understand where this confidence is coming from you know like is it has improved since since the last fight like he has but I don’t get the the confidence and the the arrogance and the the enterment you know like relax I I went for the same kind of Longer Road than he did you know and I held it out and got got it done you know so it’s all good we’ll see come um July 27th um but you you you will agree that uh I I would think that he has improved I mean like the win over benil the Sha Brady win these are solid wins right I mean he has come a long way no good there good wins I said that he has improved you know I can’t be deluded and approach as as it’s the first fight um cuz it’s not but is Improvement to make no difference come FR night you know I feel like I’m just much better athlete um technical everything mentally everything I feel better B’s better than him and that’s just what it is you know um I fight 10 times I should beat him 10 times you know and July would be the second time fighting him I’m going to take him out when’s the last time you watched your first fight with um below yeah um probably since starting Camp to be fair um I haven’t watched it look around um pretty easy round to be to be fair and then the I po happened started crying and that was it there weren’t much to watch you know um but yeah he like I said he has improved um in what he does but he still does the same exact things you know but probably does it a little bit better but it’s just the same kind of techniques how how he approaches it and so we’ll see how do you think that fight would have played out if there wasn’t the Poke and all that stuff like what do you what do you think what are you feeling what what what what do you think Arrow come on now you’re trying to get me in trouble I think I think B dislikes me more than he dislikes you if if I’m uh if I’m being he cares about no one cares about B no cares I’m trying to come peace and love I’m not fighting him peace and love peace and love um I feel like normally it takes a while to get going you know and that far I felt that was my night I felt on you know so from the first round I went at him and I see the first round went smooth you know then ioke happened I was just get getting into the flow of things and then ioke happened you know I can’t see how he would have took that momentum away from me and so I feel like we went that there I would have finished him so in in a perfect world you you will have fought in April and I’m guessing you knew about this card so you would have maybe tried to fight three times this year does this change your plans for 2024 you said a little bit yeah a little bit I would allow to do like April then like one in the summer and then like New York that that was my my plan December like New Year that was my my thing in New Year and like let’s be active this area and that was my thing and um so I was really pushing for April well that didn’t happen um the usfc came to me said okay we’re coming back to Manchester in July um I went to headline the card and I was okay that’s like perfect you know I enjoy fighting at home I like I like fighting there and when I said that I thought few more months wait but I’ll wait and and do it you know and Below was the opponent was there any talk of Birmingham for this fight um no I don’t think birmingh got the the big enough Arena you know I think the biggest one in Birmingham is like 12,000 I think what about where ason Villa play yeah I know but UK wether is quite wild you know I wish it was but I think I think one hopefully we can get it done like in the summer like August July um but it’s a lot go behind it to get that locked in you know but that would have been sick it’s not like I said manchest just hour away from my house so it’s basically home pretty damn close yeah Bic um the win over Colby was that the most gratifying win of your career obviously the Usman W is gigantic as well but considering everything that he had said leading up to it not just that week but in the Years leading up to it would that would that be a fair thing to say um it was a big big moment for me because I I have to deal with a lot for what he said and like mentally it was you know but I feel like I was the win of wasman that’s like the for me right now in my career I feel there’ be a lot a lot more moments like that but I feel like Kobe was a annoying little [ __ ] but it is what it is um he came out there [ __ ] the bed and did nothing you know and the fight play that I played out uh we we had never quite seen that emotion from you leading up to the fight and in the aftermath of the fight it it when you look back on it can you even enjoy the body of work or because it was clouded by all this other crap and nonsense is it just almost like a week that you want to forget at this point because it got one yeah exactly I haven’t really watched the fight backward I think feel like that fight was just cuz us didn’t let to go one bit you know he’s just an annoying guy and first obviously what went on at press conference and everything that um go went along with it um but like I said is it is I’m I’m over it now and I move forward you know how did how did you keep your emotions in check that was the part that I was worried about for you that you would just want to like legit rip his head off and not fight I did you did okay I did you know I to my my mom call me um after just say like I know he said was horrible but don’t let him get into your head you know like you got a job to to do and um obviously I love you D lovees you so it doesn’t matter what he says go out there and perform don’t fall into his traps and um let him get the win you know and so that was my my mentality so kind of like like cut H the P hard D was like d was like man you need to like just like you mean like understand what it is but you can’t go you can’t go in there like that you know um you have to you have to relax your mind and go in there focus and cold and that’s what I did did you look for him backstage after the press conference yeah yeah but they they moved him I don’t know where where he went but he weren’t backstage at all you know I feel like OB security took him away and I don’t know where to put him but he was somewhere what what were you looking to do slap him I was looking to do I feel like just like I don’t know I don’t know I feel like just not a man you know I feel like the way he talks what he says like he should be a really to like back it up inside and outside the cage you know and um but yeah for me I don’t think he’s a man we us know and is it is and and uh in the aftermath he has said that um they didn’t score the fight for him because of his political beliefs have you seen this and if so what do you think about that I don’t know Kobe is Kobe yeah I feel like every time he loses there is someone else’s fault when we got kned about markard this always someone else’s fault there’s nothing to do with him um I don’t know how him losing a fight got to do what like you lost clearly you know he just like I I don’t get what Trump got to do with it or anybody got to do with it you lost the fight and that’s it just move on learn from it and move forward and for some reason just Mak excuses for his losses and pretend like oh yeah he’s better than what he is and he ain’t you know and is is I thought would be probably similar similar as well you know two weird people are are you gonna uh be happy when you can move on from some of these characters um as you as you just described them as weird people like do do you want to move on to maybe some some fresh faces if you will um yeah for sure I feel like um I get Bel out the way all the all the wrestling phas is kind of going right I think isman was Kobe then his z um who else is wrestler I don’t know proba shat a little bit the wrest the strikers then which is lovely so so I feel get get these wrestlers out of the way and just crack home Myer you know I feel like I got a lot more to do I Tru believe I haven’t done nothing yet and there’s so much I want to accomplish and doing the sport that I am focused and and driven and I can’t I cannot wait to accomplish it you know of those three names that were offered to you for 300 which one excited you the most I would whoever to be fair I would think about the names you know more about the opportunity than the names you know like give me whoever you know um more opportunity to be fair I really think I don’t really think he E I didn’t there wasn’t one challenge that you liked more than the other or one matchup not really not really not really I feel like all work is easy work you know and I was focusing going out there getting the job done and that’s it fair enough uh since we have last spoken a new face has emerged in the UFC’s welterweight division Michael Venom pagee did you watch his debut fight and if so what did you think of his performance um he was all right he was all right you know against um Kevin Holland um good performance I part him before I’ve trained him before I know he’s I know him as well so um you know well fair play to him you know I feel like we a lot way to go to to get to the championship but I feel like he’s he’s all right you know okay um he has talked about a potential Stadium fight against you or how big a fight against you would be in the UK um when he speaks about it I I feel like he feels like it could be in the near future maybe one or two fights away but it sounds to me like you feel otherwise um I don’t know let’s see who fights next right his fight like everyone beat Holland like he beat Holland you know so he is good but like he’s one of these guys win one lose one he talks like he don’t care about like championships more just about winning losing like I don’t care but so is what it is um I feel like let’s see him go against like someone that actually wants to be a champion and someone that’s like hungry to become champion and go from there um I’m not really focused outside number one two one one or two that’s my main focus and I don’t really look too far down the division then you get too distracted so I’m focus on who’s next Who’s Next and who’s next after that and that’s it you know and let’s see where where it ends up uh there’s some talk of him fighting Ian Gary on this card um can I ask who you think you know Ian a little bit as well obviously who who do you think wins that fight oh um I don’t know I don’t know Ian is good I don’t know I’m actually excited to see that fight because they’re both like Strikers um not not the best Grapplers so I feel like I don’t know I’m excited to see it it’ be hard to pick I think you’re sitting on the fence on you’re taking the fifth yeah yeah I probably lean towards MVP probably uh I don’t know I don’t know actually I don’t know do you do you agree with him that a fight a fight between you two considering you’re both from the UK would be gigantic there that it could be a stadium show yeah 100% it would be massive if it happened you know um in the UK as well I love to Aston Villa for that one that that would be come on that yeah that would be Madness so yeah that that’ be good let’s say it gets there then we’ll go from there by the way what’s better for you fighting in the middle of the night in the UK or fighting in Utah normal time UK I’ll never going back to Utah and I have to visit it really it was so great to you it was amazing I mean you had your greatest it was a moment it was a moment but I feel like no no no no you’re to do that yeah I think the barall closes at 3:00 everything just closes straight away there’s like how many drinks you can have and there’s a lot going on there I feel like Manchester 500 a.m. everyone would drunk already so it brilliant by the way speaking of um the the postf fight scenes after the kobby fight you with the cigar like it was it gave me very like Colby like Vibes um not Colby Kobe like Vibes with the sunglasses and it just like that I felt like your confidence is at an all-time high like you have you have come out you are a superstar you have that aura about you I mean you don’t do interviews anymore for goodness sakes I have to sacrifice my firstborn son have things dramatically changed do do you feel do you feel like people are treat I see you sitting down with Simon Jordan for an hour and all that stuff like you’re you’re you’re a big shot now do you feel that do do do you sense that yeah definitely definitely especially when like if I leave the house I’m taking pictures every day you know and um it’s a it’s weird but it’s I’m I’m owning it and I feel like I’m truly getting into the stride of things and going into my Prime you know I’m 32 32 now and um I like to go for another like five six years so I’m feeling I’m going into my Prime and I feel good and it’s a it’s a perfect time now you know I got a championship confidence and um I’ve been through ups and downs I’ve been through trial tribulations I got through all you know and I Feel Like That Built Me tough and built me like solid and I TR belong feel like I here you know I’m sure you dreamed about all of this but is it ever to the point where you kind of sometimes think not not to be as successful but like man I I wish I can go to the store or something or be with my kids and and and not be bothered like is it ever to a point where it gets to be too much um sometimes sometimes my little boy you know like trying to eat food at a restaurant pH and that so sometimes but um but I enjoy it like I said this is what you you dream for as a as a kid and I got to keep reminding myself to be grateful even though fans might be Anno like get photos all the time but you have to remind yourself you have to be grateful um this what you prayed for when you first started mixings to have the money that you got and doing what you’re doing and have people knowing you and so now here I’m just reminding myself be grateful and thanking God for my position I’m just curious also about the UK media because I know they cover boxing like it’s you know a gigantic thing and the the the boxing stars get a lot of love do you feel like they give you the same type of love and attention I know you don’t crave that but I’m just wondering if you feel like you get the same type of attention attention to some of the other boxing greats from the UK as well um yeah probably not likey Joshua probably not you I me he’s like the biggest boxing IM Tyson um but I feel I’m definitely feeling in love in UK 100% okay um you deserve that and I was happy to see you sitting down with me even though half the interview was him telling you about you know why he didn’t like Combat Sports or fighting and I like what do what do you tell you got the champ sitting there and you’re you’re going on and on about cage fighting for [ __ ] sake I know that like I don’t know what what he want to say you know like kept going about Connor and but I was like bro I don’t know what you want me to say like invite me on to your show just to say yeah you don’t like MMA I like okay yes feel like when I heading there that kind of interview that he is you know like he likes to like create convers like arguments and arguing and he’s all good is there any chance Leon that um Connor beats Michael Chandler on June 29th yeah I I think so I think it beats him okay watch like like stylistically if you watch him stylistically I feel like like con is like very sharp shooter like counter counter shooter and feel like Chandler is um he plays off his aggression right he likes entertain the crowd and um try to scrap he’s too small as well feel walk to like to to the backand you know and um it’s going be a good fight but I’m favoring Conor for this fight is there any chance he wins that fight you win a month later and your next opponent is Conor McGregor for the Welterweight Title that’ll be good that’ be good you know I feel like let’s yeah 100% why not you know I feel like let’s let’s give him opportunity to become through Division World Champion give me opportunity to take take out a guy like Conor McGregor um New York that would be perfect that’s the that that is that is the fight you know I feel like he go goes out there take out um Michael I take out no one’s remember his name and then we go from there we go New York MSG oh my dear back to where he made history the first time double champ they build it as now he tries to become triple champ against you oh my god imagine the scenes that’s the that’s the fight I feel that’s the fight you know like I said two got business to take care of but that’s the fight you know I feel that’s that’s needs to happen and it should happen um has this been brought up at all hey if this works out that has there any bit any sort of dis Whispers any any chatter about it behind the scenes um not really I heard like little noise but not nothing like get me excited about you know I feel like like I said we both got fights on our hands that we need to get past first before even get get into that far end so um I to go out there I’ll take care below you go take care of what you need to take care of and we go from there okay uh lastly before we let you go again thank you great to talk to you as always what’s what’s the prediction for the 27th of July what are you feeling this time I I need a finish and I feel like anything short of a finish is not good enough all the [ __ ] this guy talk on social media Arrow the [ __ ] tweets the the t-shirts in made the [ __ ] the mees made deserve he deserve ass whooping you know I feel like he’s gonna get his ass whooped and I’ve never lost a fight in UK I’ve never lost and home turf you know and I I bring that confidence with me I bring the confidence of being a champion with me and um it’s just too easy to hit you know like he can improve all he want he’s too easy to hit you know like his head is there his body is is there and he’s going to get hit hit a lot and um I take him out you know uh compared to Usman compared to covid you put him third on that list in terms of the the challenge he presents or did you put him higher up um now I put him higher up higher up because I’m gonna fight him now you know so um but after that I will say you know I feel like Usman the fre obviously iorman to be number one you know um but right now in my head is he is number one and I’ll go out there I compete against him and I’ll I’ll go from there from there a few weeks ago your coach Dave LEL said to me analyzing the fight looking back at it balal was looking for a way out he was looking to steal a decision he said this to talk sport balal responded to him saying remember this statement after round four and Leon is looking to you for your motivational speech after I’ve slapped him around for 20 minutes but when when if when if ever ever did that to nobody you know like come on bro like he’s just talking in it I let him talk and let him make his little memes and his little tweets and but come on every everyone knows like he ain’t on my level and that’s just the facts of it you know he has improved so have I but there’s levels to the game and I truly believe that I am levels above him and come July I’ll show that can’t wait for it thank you Leon thanks for watching we appreciate it very much hey if you like this video give us the old thumbs up subscribe as well you can get many more of these videos on the channel so please do that we would love you forever if you did so