UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards and #2 ranked contender Belal Muhammad are set on a collision course for July 27, Saturday when the cage closes behind them for an epic 5-round title clash in Manchester. While Edwards has the home crowd advantage at the Co-op Live Arena, how much is the champ earning for his third title defense you ask? Well, as per reports from NYFights, ‘Rocky’ is expected to earn around $1 million just as his salary excluding the PPV shares!
Saturday’s main event will truly be an epic clash with both fighters riding the momentum of their unbeaten streaks. Winning 12 fights in a row after former champ, Kamaru Usman handed him his first defeat, Edwards is on a roll here and so is Muhammad who last lost a bout in 2019.
Welterweight gold is on the line this weekend!
Let's take a look at how @Leon_EdwardsMMA & @BullyB170's resumes compare ahead of #UFC304 👀
[ B2YB: @BlockAssetCo ] pic.twitter.com/Ae9H5eMAug
— UFC (@ufc) July 23, 2024
As for their earnings, the Brit will most likely bag the $1 mil paycheck that he secured during his title defense against Colby Covington in 2023. There’s no way we see a deduction from this figure but only an increase taking into account the bonuses and PPV shares.
As for ‘Remember The Name’ his share won’t exceed the champions but will bag a considerable dough on Saturday with reports indicating an expected salary of $350,000 excluding the bonuses and PPV cut.
But no matter, if he becomes the welterweight champion, those numbers are likely to see a sharp rise.
Meanwhile, former WW king, Usman recently weighed in his thoughts on the title fight, picking sides and delivering his honest take.
Usman picks champion, Leon Edwards to win
Having met thrice in the octagon, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ certainly knows a few things about the Brit’s game. While the outcome favored Usman in their first meeting, the tides quickly changed in their second when Edwards KOed the champ with a stellar last round head kick. Following that sniper shot, he again defended the belt, defeating the former champ via decision to retain his belt.
He then fought UFC’s controversialist and all-American wrestler, Colby Covington, winning the bout to retain his belt again. Now having fought a number of elite wrestlers, Leon has improved his grappling game considerably and according to Usman, its going to be Edwards who will have his hands raised on Saturday.
Dropping his thoughts on the popular Pound 4 Pound podcast, he urged Muhammad to stay on course with his game plan, warning the fighter not to get distracted by Edwards’ flashy techniques. Ultimately he thinks Edwards has the firepower and takedowns defense to come on top.
