Tag: Top Stories

It seems that the UFC is upholding its recent tradition of crafting bespoke fight kits for its marquee stars, with reigning welterweight champion Leon Edwards being the next to benefit from this stylish custom. “Rocky” will now grace the Octagon in dazzling, one-of-a-kind shorts for his upcoming bout.

Back in 2014, the UFC inked an official apparel deal with Reebok, designating them as the exclusive provider of fight gear. Prior to this deal, fighters enjoyed the freedom to wear their choice of attire.

However, for the past decade, the UFC, along with Reebok, controlled the design of fight shorts. In 2021, the apparel contract was handed over to Venum, marking the beginning of a new chapter in UFC fight gear.

In 2020, featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell made history by debuting a custom Reebok camouflage short. Fast forward four years, and a torrent of creativity has surged into the Octagon. Venum has since designed tailor-made shorts for six additional fighters, all showcased in high-stakes title bouts at UFC 299, UFC 300, and UFC 302.

Edwards, Pimblett To Potentially Sport Custom Shorts At UFC 304

Edwards is gearing up to defend his title before his fervent home supporters against former rival Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304. The highly anticipated rematch is set to take place at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, on July 27.

According to a recent tweet from MMA journalist Christopher De Santiago, “Rocky” is set to don custom-made gear for his third title defense. The post included several images, seemingly sourced from the Venum website and the EA Sports UFC 5 video game, highlighting green shorts embellished with the Jamaican and British national flags alongside royal crowns.

This unique design pays homage to Edwards’ rich heritage, celebrating his deep-rooted connections to both nations.

Fellow UFC 304 main carder Paddy Pimblett is also receiving custom shorts at the event, De Santiago confirmed.

Edwards and Muhammad first faced off at a UFC Fight Night event in March 2021. However, an unforeseen eye poke in the second round rendered “Remember the Name” unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest.

Edwards is riding high on a 13-fight unbeaten streak, capped by a dominant unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington at UFC 296 last December. He claimed the welterweight title with a spectacular fifth-round knockout of then-champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 in August 2022.

The Jamaican-born Englishman has also previously secured victories over high-profile opponents such as Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, and Vicente Luque.

• Read More: Belal Muhammad Labels Champion Leon Edwards As His ‘Easiest Fight’ & Sees ‘Weaknesses’ All Through Welterweight Shark Tank

Continue Reading PHOTOS: Leon Edwards & Paddy Pimblett’s Custom Shorts For UFC 304 at MMA News.

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad thinks his path to the belt was a lot tougher than champion Leon Edwards’.

The pair are set to headline this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event inside the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where Muhammad will look to upset the home fans by ripping the 170-pound title from “Rocky’s” grasp.

Since their first fight ended in a No Contest over three years ago, Edwards has worked his way to the gold and subsequently defended it successfully twice to date. “Remember the Name,” meanwhile, has extended his unbeaten run to 10 with five straight wins over Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, Sean Brady, and Gilbert Burns.

That run has left many branding Muhammad the clear number one contender, and some even calling him the most deserving challenger in UFC history. Edwards, however, seemingly hasn’t been too impressed and recently downplayed some of his opponent’s results.

Unsurprisingly, Muhammad has returned the favor…

Muhammad Insists He Boasts Tougher Strength Of Schedule Than Edwards

During a recent interview with Kevin Iole, Muhammad looked ahead to his long-awaited first opportunity at achieving champion status on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

The #2-ranked welterweight had his attention turned to Edwards’ remarks about his winning run and fired back in kind, suggesting that “Rocky” fought nothing but 155lbers to secure his 2022 title shot.

“When I look at his résumé for him to get the title fight, he fought nothing but lightweights,” Muhammad said. “Donald Cerrone, RDA, Nate Diaz. Like, okay? Look at the guys that I beat, when I beat them. Gilbert Burns was on a two-fight winning streak. Luque was on a five or six-fight winning streak when I beat him. Sean Brady was on a 15-fight winning streak when I beat him. ‘Wonderboy’ was like 3-1 out of his last four fights when I beat him. Demian Maia was like 3-1…

“He can say whatever he wants, but I know what I had to do to fight those guys,” Muhammad continued. “And when I trained for those guys, every single one of those camps I picked up something different, right, because I had to train for a grappler, then I had to train for a striker, then I had to train for a guy who knocked me out before. Every single one of those guys, every single one of those camps, I evolved as a fighter. … I fought the best version of them and I got the best version of myself out of it.”

Muhammad will look to demonstrate that evolution since the unfortunate ending to his and Edwards’ first clash when they run it back in Manchester this weekend.

And when it comes to achieving that feat, “Remember the Name” isn’t short on confidence. The challenger has vowed to unseat “Rocky” inside the distance, with him and his manager claiming he won’t even require the championship rounds at UFC 304.

• Read More: UFC Commentator Labels Belal Muhammad ‘Deluded’ For Pre-UFC 304 Comments About Leon Edwards

Continue Reading Belal Muhammad Downplays UFC 304 Opponent Leon Edwards’ Résumé: ‘To Get The Title Fight, He Fought Nothing But Lightweights!’ at MMA News.