Belal Muhammad believes he would’ve broken Leon Edwards in the fifth round if they’d have fought at UFC 263.

The two men had a brief bout earlier this year that ended abruptly when an accidental eye poke from Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue. Ever since then, Muhammad has been protesting for another shot at Edwards who he now seems to have a legitimate beef with.

In the wake of his win over Demian Maia on Saturday night, Muhammad reiterated his desire to lock horns with “Rocky” at some point in the future – and he also made it known that he would’ve finished the job at UFC 263, unlike Nate Diaz.

“I would have broke him,” said Muhammad. “He was ready to break in that fifth round. And that was Diaz playing 90% of the rest of the fight. Me, I would have stayed in his face the whole time. I would have broke Leon for sure.”

Belal was referring to the fact that after Diaz wobbled Edwards, he decided to taunt him instead of going in for the kill. That move may well have cost him the fight as Leon held on to claim a unanimous decision victory.

Muhammad looked good against Maia but given where they’re both currently sat in the welterweight rankings, you’d have to think a rematch between them is unlikely to be next.

Either way, though, it’s nice to see that the welterweight division is looking pretty stacked as Kamaru Usman continues to wait for his next big challenge.

Do you think Belal Muhammad would’ve been able to finish Leon Edwards on Saturday night if he was in Nate Diaz’s position? Also, do you think he deserves the rematch against Edwards before the end of the year? Let us know your thoughts on this situation down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!