Belal Muhammad thinks Leon Edwards still has juice despite UFC 322 loss

Leon Edwards has been struggling inside the Octagon, but even after his UFC 322 defeat to Carlos Prates, Belal Muhammad feels his former rival should press on.

Edwards entered Madison Square Garden in New York City hoping to snap a two-fight skid that had some questioning his motivation. “Rocky” had a promising start against Prates with his grappling. Things took a bad turn for Edwards in the second round, as he was knocked out.

Now, many fans are wondering if it’s time for Edwards to call it a career. Muhammad isn’t of that mindset, as he told Newsweek Sports that “Rocky” can get back on the horse and find success once again.

“He’s definitely got juice left,” Muhammad said. “You’ve got to look at the guys he’s fighting. It’s not like he’s losing to bums. He’s losing to the best in the world. When you’re the champion, you don’t get a quick give-me-fight. All the fights are going to be hard fights. For him, it sucks, but he’s just got to get over the little hump.”

Edwards has now dropped three straight bouts. Those losses were against Muhammad, Sean Brady, and now Prates. “Rocky” was outclassed in the grappling by both Muhammad and Brady, and his loss to Prates was the first knockout defeat of his pro MMA career.

The welterweight division has seen the emergence of rising contenders, such as Michael Morales, who also competed on the UFC 322 card. He took out Brady in the opening frame via TKO. The division is now ruled by Islam Makhachev, who defeated Jack Della Maddalena via unanimous decision in a clean sweep.

If Edwards expects to return to the top of the heap at welterweight, he has some significant work to do. Time will tell if he ever gets a chance to return to the title picture.