Edwards

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 13: (L-R) Leon Edwards of Jamaica accidentally pokes the eye of Bulal Muhammad in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC Fight Night main event ends in no contest after eye poke – watch and photo

The main event of the UFC’s latest Fight Night at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas ended in a no-contest between welterweights Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.

Edwards

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 13: (L-R) Leon Edwards of Jamaica accidentally pokes the eye of Bulal Muhammad in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The main event of the UFC’s latest Fight Night at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas on Saturday, 13 March ended in a no contest between welterweights Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.

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British fighter Edwards, who had been out of the Octagon since July 2019, showed no signs of rust, with crisp early striking which rattled his opponent – including a perfectly placed head kick in the opening round.

However, 18 seconds into the second round, Edwards inadvertently poked Pakistan’s Muhammad in the eye. When the latter indicated that he could not continue, the fight was waved off and declared a no contest.

“First, I want to apologise to Belal Muhammad. A long, long year for me and I prepped so hard. I wish him well, I wish him a full recovery,” Edwards said after the match.

“Going into it, I said I didn’t believe in ring rust…I showed it tonight.

“I was just getting into the flow of it. To have that freak accident happen, I’m heartbroken. It’s been a long year and half. To come back to this, it’s upsetting you know?”

He added, “It’s heartbreaking. It’s been a long, long year and half. A lot of ups and downs – none of these top guys accepting the fight. Belal Muhammad stepped up and accepted the fight. I give him respect for that. I have so much I learned for the last year and a half that I wanted to show.

“I was going into the fight with the mentality of wanting to fight for the belt next. So now what’s next? What do I do now? Is it a rematch, is it someone else? I feel like I deserve a title shot. That’s nine fights in a row. I’ve fought everyone they give me.”

UFC Fight Night: Edwards v Muhammad – Main card results:

– Main event: Welterweight: Leon Edwards v Belal Muhammad ends in no contest (accidental eye poke), R2, 0:18

– Light heavyweight: Ryan Spann def. Misha Cirkunov via TKO (punches), R1, 1:11

– Featherweight: Dan Ige def. Gavin Tucker via KO (punch), R1, 0:22

– Bantamweight: Davey Grant def. Jonathan Martinez via KO (punch), R2, 3:03

– Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau def. Manel Kape via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28), R3, 5:00

– Middleweight: Eryk Anders v Darren Stewart ends in no contest (illegal knee), R1, 4:37