Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has made a bold prediction for the upcoming UFC 304 main event, which features a welterweight title rematch between Leon 'Rocky' Edwards and Belal 'Remember the Name' Muhammad. Adesanya, who is closely watching the fight as he prepares for his own title shot at UFC 305 next month, believes that Edwards will come out victorious.

Adesanya shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup in a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel. He acknowledged Muhammad as a dangerous opponent with his wrestling-heavy style, but emphasized that Edwards has significantly improved since their first fight in 2021. In that bout, Edwards dominated Muhammad from the outside before it was prematurely ended due to an eye-poke.

The former middleweight champion believes that Edwards' superior skills and distance management will once again be the key to his success. Adesanya expressed doubt about Muhammad's ability to close the distance and wrestle against Edwards, stating that it seems like a bad stylistic matchup for the challenger.

Although bookies have labeled Edwards as the moderate favorite for UFC 304, Adesanya is confident that the fight is in Edwards' hands. He predicts that Edwards will finish the fight and specifically anticipates a knockout in the second or third round.

Meanwhile, Edwards himself is open to the idea of moving up to middleweight in the future. Should he defeat Muhammad and add another title defense under his belt, the 32-year-old champion believes he has both the time and physical stature to compete in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Edwards expressed his desire to fight the middleweight champion, whoever it may be, except for his close friend and mentor, Israel Adesanya.

The welterweight title rematch at UFC 304 is set to take place this weekend in Manchester, England. As the anticipation builds, Edwards looks to further solidify his position as the reigning champion, while Muhammad aims to dethrone him.