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Jon Anik recently reacted to Leon Edwards' head coach, Dave Lovell, expressing a preference for Gilbert Burns over Belal Muhammad as the next potential opponent for the reigning welterweight champion.
'Rocky' successfully defended his 170-pound title in his second defense, securing a unanimous decision victory over Colby Covington at UFC 296 last week.
Even before the official announcement of the matchup, Muhammad had been vocal about his desire for a title shot. Post-fight, he maintains that he is the top contender for a rematch with the division champion. Edwards initially faced Muhammad in 2021, but the fight was halted only 18 seconds into the second round due to an unintentional eye poke that left 'Remember the Name' unable to continue.
During his recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Lovell stated that given the option to decide Edwards' next opponent, he would favor Burns over Muhammad:
"If I had a choice who would be next, I would prefer Burns over Belal, because I think Burns brings more to the table than Belal. Because Leon’s beaten [Muhammad] — well, I shouldn’t say that, he had the no-contest against Belal. It looked like, you can’t judge it by the first round totally, but it looked like Leon obviously had the first round locked down with Belal and he was going in for the kill the second until the eye poke occurred."
Check out Dave Lovell's comments below:
Anik, who is a close friend of Muhammad, responded to Lovell's remarks on MMA Fighting's Instagram account. He commented:
"Speechless…"
Check out Jon Anik's comment below:
Belal Muhammad hits back at Leon Edwards' doubts on title shot merit
Although Belal Muhammad boasts a 10-fight unbeaten streak, securing victories against several top 15 ranked opponents, Leon Edwards minimized his prospects for a title shot. 'Rocky' suggested there were alternate options, expressing his belief that Muhammad shouldn't be considered the next contender.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Muhammad criticized the welterweight champion for not recognizing him as a legitimate contender in the division:
"Honestly, that’s what pisses me off the most about him. That’s what’s making me dislike him the most. Not even the fact that we fought, and he’s the one who committed the foul."
He added:
"I’m on a 10-fight unbeaten streak. You were on a nine-fight unbeaten streak when you were waiting for your title shot and everybody brushing you off. You know how it feels to get brushed off like that."
Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below:
