The first battle between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21 was intense, with both fighters going into the fight riding high on momentum. In the main event, just as the fight was reaching its peak, Edwards delivered a controversial eye poke that would forever alter the course of the bout. The sneaky move by the Englishman rendered Muhammad unable to see properly from his right eye, a condition that still affects him to this day.
It was a brutal twist in what was shaping up to be a thrilling contest, ending in a no-contest and leaving fans questioning what could have been. However, Muhammad got his revenge when they fought each other again at UFC 304, but this time, ‘Remember The Name’ made sure to use his wrestling more often. As he moves forward to defend his title against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 this Saturday, let’s take a look at how bad the eyepoke was for Belal Muhammad.
How did Belal injure his eye?
UFC Vegas 21 didn’t exactly unfold the way Belal Muhammad had envisioned it. While he didn’t suffer a defeat as the fight ended in a no contest, he suffered something that could have been a career-altering moment. In the opening rounds, Leon Edwards dominated, landing hard shots and precision head kicks to Muhammad. Despite the barrage of shots, Muhammad maintained his composure and landed some decent shots.
However, all of this changed in the second round as disaster struck Belal Muhammad. ‘Rocky’ in the heat of the battle accidentally poked Muhammad in the eyes, forcing the then-emerging welterweight to draw back from the fight. The eye-poke left ‘Remember The Name’ screaming in pain. As Herb Dean checked Muhammad’s eye, he immediately stopped the fight when it began to swell up.
Muhammad missed the UFC Vegas 21 post-fight press conference, however, he took to his X handle to give a message to his fans: “My heart is shattered (that) my first main event ended like that, but God is the best of planners. I am sorry to the fans and the UFC. You deserved a full fight,” Well, now that we know how the injury happened, let’s look at the aftermath of the eye-poke, which reported affects the welterweight champion to this day.
Is Belal Muhammad’s eye permanently damaged?
Many might think that the eye poke was a minor injury that derailed Belal Muhammad; however, it was certainly not. Belal Muhammad was escorted to the hospital immediately as his eye began to exhibit serious swelling and red patches. The fight ended, but Leon Edwards was not satisfied with the outcome. In an interview with Daniel Cormier, he stated that he would have rather lost.
As the dust settled, Muhammad delivered some good news about his recovery. ‘Remember The Name’ revealed that his eye wasn’t at risk of long-lasting damage, as his vision was gradually improving. He further asserted back then that he would be sidelined from training for 21 days and was prohibited from competing for 30 days, pending clearance from his doctor for his right eye.
UFC Champ was left temporarily blind after the eye poke
“I literally thought I was blind,” said Belal Muhammad as he talked with the media about the injury. Leon Edwards left Belal Muhammad in such a state that he had to undergo surgery to make sure that he could see properly. The extent of the damage remains unknown even now, but as per Muhammad’s medical records, he would not have to deal with continuous pain for a long duration.
He further added, “The toughest thing I had to do was deal with the eye surgery. When you have an eye surgery, it’s the most depressing thing because you can’t do nothing. You have to be in a certain head position for, you know, four or five months. You can’t train and I love to train.” He continued: “I love to work out and the doctor is telling you like, ‘This is a stupid decision if you’re going to go back to the fighting.’ You’re like, ‘Bro, this is all I know. This, this is what I am. There’s no Plan B.’”
Belal Muhammad asserted that the eye poke was so damaging it took him at least 40 minutes to regain his vision afterward, “Literally, it took like maybe like 30 or 40 minutes after it [happened] to finally see some light out of there. You’re like, ‘Oh my God, I still got vision. I still could see.’ It was like, it was tough, man.”
It took Belal Muhammad approximately two months to get back to form. ‘Remember The Name’ demanded an immediate rematch, but he was shunned by Leon Edwards, who was focused on facing the champion for the title. Regardless, as ‘Remember The Name’ moves forward to clash against Jack Della Maddalena, what are your thoughts on their banger fight? State your opinion in the comments below.
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