Belal Muhammad dubs Leon Edwards’ coach a “joke” for injury “excuses” after UFC title fight loss in Manchester

Newly crowned welterweight King Belal Muhammad mocked Leon Edwards and his coach for making excuses after their loss at UFC 304 rather than owning up to the defeat.

'Remember the Name' defeated 'Rocky' by unanimous decision at the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester. Following the victory, Muhammad took a dig at Edwards' head coach, Dave Lovell, for claiming his pupil's back was injured going into his third title defense.

Earlier this week, Lovell spoke with Submission Radio about why the former champion was not fully prepared and healthy for his title fight at UFC 304 in Manchester. He said:

"In the back part of my mind, you know, I was thinking about should we go for this but because he hasn’t fought for so long leon said he wanted it so we just pushed forward with the injury, trained with the injury and then tried to, you know, get through and get victory but unfortunately it never happened."

Check out Dave Lovell's comments on Leon Edwards' supposed injury (3:00):

Muhammad didn't want to miss the opportunity to poke fun at the coach's excuses. Speaking with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie, the champion laid out the reasons why he thinks Edwards' coach is a joke and how both of them have come up with different excuses. He said:

"He was a joke before the fight, as a coach, he's a joke after the fight. It's funny they both had different excuses. Leon said that he couldn't sleep, his coach said his back was hurting. Get on the same page if you're gonna come up with an excuses, like at least talk to each other."

Check out Belal Muhammad ridiculing Leon Edwards and his coach:

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Belal Muhammad lambasts Alexander Volkanovski for claiming he could beat him

Belal Muhammad is seemingly on cloud nine as he berates fighters, fans, and analysts alike for not believing in his ability to win the belt. After capturing the gold, 'Remember the Name' is in no mood to entertain the naysayers, as he goes on The Anik and Florian podcast and dumps on alleged haters for doubting his skills.

The champion also took a swing at the former featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, who playfully claimed that he would step in on short notice if either of the headliners of UFC 304 pulled out.

"Cry, right? You guys that were talking," Muhammad said on the Anik & Florian Podcast. "You guys were hating. All these guys wanted to come out. [Alexander] Volkanovski, 'Man, I think Belal's a good match up for me if I fight him.' Shut up, bro. I'll smack the hell out of you. All these guys, right."

Check out Belal Muhammad's response to Alexander Volkanovski's claim to potentially smash him (13:30):

Muhammad intends to be an active champion and expects his first defense to be against undefeated 18-0 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. He admits that October 2024 is a little early due to some minor injuries from the Edwards rematch, but November or December are ideal return dates.