Leon Edwards opens as big favorite open Belal Muhammad

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards opened up as a big betting favorite to defeat Belal Muhammad when the two clash on March 13.

The No. 13 ranked welterweight Muhammad is filling in on short notice for No. 14 ranked Khamzat Chimaev, who was forced out of his March 13 main event with Edwards due to COVID-19 related issues. The UFC was hoping to book No. 3 Edwards against No. 2 Colby Covington in a No. 1 contender fight, but Covington passed on taking the matchup with Edwards. Though Edwards was hoping to land a top-five opponent, there wasn’t anyone else available for him to fight on short notice that was ranked that highly. Looking up and down the rankings, the one fighter who was available to fight in March was Muhammad.

With Edwards vs. Muhammad now official as the March 13 UFC Fight Night five-round headliner, the oddsmakers were quick to reveal the betting line for the matchup. Take a look at the opening odds for Edwards vs. Muhammad below (via BestFightOdds).

UFC Fight Night:
Belal Muhammad (+200)
Leon Edwards (-260)https://t.co/DoWeIqUOlG @Leon_edwardsmma

— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) February 18, 2021

UFC Odds

Leon Edwards -260
Belal Muhammad +200

Edwards opened as a sizeable -260 betting favorite (bet $260 to win $100) while Muhammad opened as a +200 betting underdog (bet $100 to win $200). Edwards rides into this fight on an eight-fight win streak and he’s ranked 10 spots higher at welterweight, so it’s no surprise to see him favored here. At the same time, Muhammad is coming off of a four-fight win streak himself and he’s won eight of his last nine fights. So while Edwards surely deserves his title of betting favorite here, especially given all that he’s accomplished in the Octagon over the years, you shouldn’t automatically count out Muhammad in this bout. It should be an excellent matchup and the winner will get closer to the title at 170lbs.

Who is your money on in this welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad?