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Almost two years for Leon Edwards and his comeback ended in a no-decision after giving Belal Muhammad an accidental glance during the UFC Vegas 21 main event.
The end-of-fight foul occurred at the start of the second round as Edwards kicked off with an outstretched hand just as Muhammad stepped towards him, which saw his finger strike straight into the eye. Muhammad fell to the ground in excruciating pain as he screamed while holding his eye.
It didn’t take long for the ring doctor to enter the cage to check on Muhammad, who already had a visible welt forming under his eye. When he wasn’t even able to open his eyes to let the doctor check him out, referee Herb Dean called for a stop to the contest.
The end came just 18 seconds into the second round with Herb declaring a no-decision due to an accidental foul.
Afterward, the fighters hugged each other while acknowledging that Edwards hadn’t intentionally shot Muhammad in the eye, but the result left the two welterweights in limbo.
“First of all, I obviously apologize to Belal,” Edwards said in his post-fight interview. “I didn’t want to do it. I really apologize. I prefer a loss than that. I’m just heartbroken. I do not know what to say.
🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/JuawZSd7HX
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 14, 2021
Before the end, Edwards looked better than ever without an ounce of rust on his return as he hit Muhammad with several stiff punches in the first round, including a nasty head butt that opened up a cut to the side. of the head.
It looked like the British welterweights were really starting to settle into a rhythm, but the second round barely started when the peek happened.
After accepting the main event on short notice, Muhammad was visibly moved as he writhed in pain on the canvas after suffering the accidental fault.
It’s a tough ending for both fighters but a particularly brutal conclusion for Edwards, who lost a main event in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and then had another fight wiped out after personally contracting COVID-19.
Finally, Saturday night’s comeback was meant to serve as Edwards’ reintroduction to the top of the division, with UFC president Dana White telling him that a win would deserve a title shot. Now Edwards will be haunted by uncertainty following the lack of a decision in the main event.
“As soon as I left the cage, I asked my manager, what should I do now?” Edwards said. “I went there focused on my next chapter to be a world champion. My heart is broken.
“It’s been a long year and a half. Lots of ups and downs and then to come back. “
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