UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Muhammad Predictions, Odds & Picks

• After three failed attempts to put together a fight between Leon Edwards and rising star Khamzat Chimaev, Belal Muhammad has now agreed to step in on short notice to fight Edwards in the main event this Saturday
• Fan-favorite Khamzat Chimaev has been battling the after-effects that the COVID-19 virus has been taking on his body and even seemed to hint at retirement
• The fight against Muhammad will be Edwards’ first since the summer of 2019

UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Muhammad Picks & Predictions

Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad – Welterweight Division

Leon Edwards (-265)

Misha Cirkunov vs Ryan Spann – Light Heavyweight Division

Ryan Spann (+110)

Dan Ige vs Gavin Tucker – Featherweight Division

Gavin Tucker (+125)

Jonathan Martinez vs Davey Grant – Bantamweight Division

Jonathan Martine (-335)

Matheus Nicolau vs Manel Kape – Flyweight Division

Manel Kape (-137)

How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Muhammad

Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad – Welterweight division

Leon “Rocky” Edwards

It’s been a year and a half since we’ve seen Leon Edwards in the octagon and in that time he has struggled with travel restrictions, loss of opponents, COVID-19, and being taken off of the welterweight rankings list (and then being added back to it).

Edwards last fought in July 2019 against former champion Rafael dos Anjos. Edwards won the fight via unanimous decision – making it his eighth win in a row. His current winning streak not only includes RDA but also the likes of Donald Cerrone and Vicente Luque. He hasn’t lost since his 2015 decision loss to now-champion Kamaru Usman.

Although Edwards and Muhammad have identical MMA records, Edwards will enter this fight as the younger, taller, and longer fighter. The southpaw British fighter trains in England with Team Renegade BJJ and MMA. Fighting professionally since 2011, Edwards holds the rank of purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a former BAMMA welterweight champion, and is ranked as the third-best welterweight in the UFC promotion.

Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad

Replacing Khamzat Chimaev on this fight card, Belal Muhammad is stepping up against Leon Edwards having just fought his last fight one-month ago against Dhiego Lima at UFC 258. He defeated Lima via unanimous decision and the win marked his fourth in a row, a streak that included a performance of the night bonus for his submission victory over Takashi Sato.

Although he will be at several physical disadvantages Saturday night, Muhammad trains with one of MMA’s more well-respected gyms in Roufusport. Fighting since 2012, Muhammad also holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – his coming under Daniel Wanderley. The Palestinian fighter currently finds himself ranked as the 13th-best welterweight in the division.

Misha Cirkunov vs Ryan Spann – Light Heavyweight Division

Misha Cirkunov

Misha Cirkunov hasn’t had it easy in his last few fights, going just 2-3 across his last five bouts. However, he is coming off of a big win which he hopes to ride the momentum from on Saturday night. He last fought Jimmy Crute, whom he submitted with a Peruvian necktie choke – earning him a performance of the night bonus. With that said, that fight took place more than a year ago, in September 2019. He was set to fight Spann last December but was forced to pull out due to injury.

The Latvian fighter comes into this contest facing several disadvantages, including age, height, and reach. But he does have more experience in the fight game than his opponent. Fighting since 2010, Cirkunov trains with Xtreme Couture and holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is also an ADCC North American submission wrestling gold medal winner and is currently ranked 11th in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Ryan “Superman” Spann

Ryan Spann was riding an eight-fight winning streak dating back to 2017 before facing a setback in his most recent bout. His winning streak included names such as Sam Alvey, Devin Clark, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. However, in his last bout (which took place last September) Spann was knocked out by a resurging Johnny Walker in the first round. However, he did drop Walker twice before being knocked out himself.

The 29-year-old American will stand 2.5-inches taller than Cirkunov and have a 4.5-inch reach advantage. Fighting since 2013, Spann has spent his time training with Fortis MMA. He is a former LFA light heavyweight champion and is currently ranked as the 13th-best UFC light heavyweight.

Dan Ige vs Gavin Tucker – Featherweight Division

Dan “Dynamite” Ige

Dan Ige was on a six-fight winning streak when he joined the UFC and although he lost his debut, he turned around and began yet another six-fight winning streak. In that time, Ige defeated the likes of Mike Santiago, Mirsad Bektic, and Edson Barboza. His last fight came against Calvin Kattar last summer in what many viewed as a potential title-contender bout. Unfortunately for Ige, his winning streak would be snapped as he dropped a unanimous decision to Kattar.

The Hawaiian-born fighter will stand equal to his opponent this Saturday but will possess a five-inch reach advantage over Gavin Tucker. Ige has spent time training with both Xtreme Couture as well as the American Kickboxing Academy. Fighting since 2014, Ige boasts NCAA division III wrestling credentials, a brown belt in judo, as well as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Jeff Doner.

He is the number-nine ranked featherweight in the UFC.

Gavin “The Newfoundland Terror” Tucker

Fighting since 2011, the 34-year-old Gavin Tucker has only found himself as a member of the UFC roster since 2017. In his time with the promotion, he has gone 4-1 and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. After back-to-back rear-naked choke submission wins, Tucker earned a unanimous decision victory in his last fight over Billy Quarantillo last December at UFC 256.

Even with the reach disadvantage, Tucker is a tough opponent for anyone. The former Extreme Cage Combat featherweight champion fights southpaw and trains with Titans MMA in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is currently unranked by the UFC.

Jonathan Martinez vs Davey Grant – Bantamweight Division

Jonathan “The Dragon” Martinez

Jonathan Martinez has had a pretty consistent record as of late, winning two straight and then losing one over his last nine fights where he is 6-3. If patterns mean anything to you, Martinez has one his last two in a row which could mean he’s due for a loss. How superstitious are you?

Martinez last fought against Thomas Almeida last December, defeating him via unanimous decision in a featherweight bout. Prior to that, Martinez had knocked out Frankie Saenz last August but it should be noted that Martinez did not make weight for the fight.

Just 26-years-old, the American fighter trains with Factory X and holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has been fighting since 2014 and had a record of 9-1 prior to joining the UFC.

“Dangerous” Davey Grant

One could argue that Davey Grant is anything but an active UFC fighter. After losing two straight (one in 2016 and the next in 2018) Grant now finds himself on a two fight winning streak – with one win coming in 2019 over Grigorii Popov and his latest taking place last July against Martin Day – whom he knocked out in the third round.

Although Davey Grant is nine years older than his opponent, he only has one year of professional MMA experience more than Martinez. The English fighter has been training since 2013 and trains with the North East Top Team. Known mostly for his boxing, Grant holds a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Matt Inman. As of now, he has yet to enter the rankings of the UFC promotion.

Matheus Nicolau vs Manel Kape – Flyweight division

Matheus Nicolau

Matheus Nicolau had just one loss on his record when he signed with the UFC in 2015 and he went on to win his first three fights with the promotion. After having his winning streak snapped in 2018 by Dustin Ortiz, Nicolau was released by the UFC. He now finds himself on a two-fight winning streak despite a lot of inactivities. His back-to-back wins over Alan Gabriel and Felipe Efrain both took place in 2019 for Future FC and Brave FC and he has yet to fight since.

The Brazilian fighter will be at a one-inch height and two-inch reach disadvantage this Saturday night. Nicolau has been training with Jackson-Wink MMA and he holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has been fighting professionally since 2010 and this will be his first UFC fight in two and a half years.

Manel “Starboy” Kape

The opposite of Nicolau when it comes to activity, Manel Kape last fought just one month ago. Entering the UFC on a three-fight winnings streak with RIZIN, Kape debuted in February against Alexandre Pantoja. He lost the bout via unanimous decision but came out unscathed.

Born in Angola, Kape trains with the VS team out of Portugal. Outside of Portugal, much of Kape’s professional career has taken place under the banner of RIZIN FC. This will be just his second UFC fight.