Edwards is the bigger and stronger athlete (3" taller, 2" reach advantage) and showed little respect for Muhammad's power in the first matchup. Edwards typically fights conservatively, stays at kickboxing range, and often fails to separate from his opposition on strike volume. Belal throws more output, landing 5.3 strikes per minute at distance (+0.8 differential) compared to 3.7 for Edwards (+0.7). However, he was far more aggressive in five minutes against Muhammad than we're typically accustomed to seeing, pressing his opponent and putting him on the back foot, where Muhammad's game is much less effective. I bet the first fight to go the distance, but I didn't like the pace that Edwards set at the outset. It seemed like Muhammad was overwhelmed from the opening bell – potentially unprepared on short notice – and that he may get finished eventually had the fight extended, and Edwards continued to pressure. Typically, Muhammad prefers to be the one pressuring opponents and backing them up against the cage, where he can alternate between strikes and clinch positions or takedown attempts. Instead, Edwards made Muhammad as uncomfortable as possible – by initiating his own pressure. Edwards hurt Belal with a head kick in the opening round and consistently backed him into a corner and unloaded combinations.