Edwards and Muhammad Gave Different Accounts of Their
Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad described an awkward hotel elevator encounter during the buildup to UFC 304 in July 2024. The rivals agreed that they had crossed paths, but offered different accounts of the tension surrounding the brief meeting.
An unexpected shared ride
Muhammad was already inside the elevator when Edwards entered and asked for the third floor. The exchange became part of the event’s public buildup through UFC Embedded footage and the fighters’ subsequent comments.
Muhammad said Edwards’s coach Dave Lovell had been talking and that Edwards’s brother Fabian had watched him closely. Edwards, in turn, described Muhammad as quiet during the ride and said words were exchanged after they stepped outside.
The rivalry reached Manchester
The encounter occurred before their welterweight championship rematch at Co-op Live in Manchester on July 27. Their competing descriptions added personal tension to the sporting contest without establishing a physical fight in the elevator.
Once the championship bout began, Muhammad used takedowns and improved striking to gain the advantage. Edwards recovered some ground during the third round, but Muhammad returned to his wrestling in the later stages.
Muhammad won the championship
The fight lasted all five rounds. Two judges scored it 48–47 for Muhammad, while the third returned 49–46, giving the challenger a unanimous decision and the UFC welterweight title.
The result supplied a definite competitive outcome after the contrasting pre-fight accounts. Muhammad left Manchester with the championship following a performance built around pressure, takedowns and sustained work from advantageous positions.
Sources
- MMA Fighting: both fighters’ accounts of the hotel encounter
- UFC: Manchester championship result and fight sequence
