"Rocky, Rocky, Rocky" rings around the arena as we go into the second half of the opening round.

A lot of feeling out here.

Edwards finds a home with a left uppercut and then digs a kick into the body.

It does Michael!

The sun has just come up and the early news team are starting to filter into the office.

Michael Bisping
Former UFC middleweight champion on TNT Sport

It doesn't feel like 5:30am!

Muhammad gets a takedown from the outset.

He has been training under former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov over the last couple of years to improve that side of his game.

Looks like he needs a bit more work on his ground game as Edwards escapes and presses Muhammad against the cage.

Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad have similar records going into their bout this morning.

Edwards narrowly leads on wins via TKO and submission, but Muhammad does have one more victory than Edwards, having been in one more professional fight than him to date.

Image source, Getty Images

It might be 05:36 BST but the crowd are loving this.

They scream every word with Bruce Buffer as he announces Leon 'Rocky' Edwards.

Off we go...

Michael Bisping
Former UFC middleweight champion on TNT Sport

There's a lot of disrespect here, which has frustrated Belal.

Bruce Buffer is going through his best lines as we gear up for this welterweight title contest.

Mike Beltran is the referee. Always got a lot of respect for someone with a moustache so long that it needs to be tucked into their t-shirt. Huge admirer of his work.

Leon Edwards represents Jamaica and the United Kingdom every time he steps in the octagon. In his own words, he tells his remarkable rise to the top of the MMA world.

Michael Bisping
Former UFC middleweight champion on TNT Sport

Pound for pound, Leon Edwards is one of the best fighters in the world. The scary thing is, he keeps improving. His takedown is perfect, the striking is always phenomenal, pinpoint, laser accuracy.

Daniel Cormier
Retired two-weight UFC champion on TNT Sports

Muhammad has the confidence of the world every time he steps into the ring.

Ready for your UFC welterweight champion?

'Shabba Madda Pot' by Dexta Daps hits the speakers and here comes Leon Edwards.

Edwards has oozed confidence all week and it's no different right now.

Full circle for the Birmingham fighter who beat Albert Tumenov on the prelims when the UFC last visited Manchester in 2016.

Tonight, he headlines.

Thursday's news conference did not disappoint with British UFC fans turning out in huge numbers to support their favourite stars.

Welterweight champion Leon Edwards and lightweight Paddy Pimblett got plenty of love.

Daniel Cormier
Retired two-weight UFC champion on TNT Sports

Belal Muhammad is the guy who trains hard, works hard and he believes that he will beat Leon Edwards tonight.

Irish welterweight Ian Garry: "I think Belal has a huge opportunity to go out there and bring it to Leon. Over five rounds Leon rarely gets the finish - I think we could see Belal go out there and try and dominate - but I just believe this will be a five-round decision that sways in the way of Leon. But I'm excited to see if there's an evolution and difference in Belal from his training camp. I think it's an exciting time for him."

Irish strawweight Shauna Bannon: "I think Leon Edwards will win by decision. I think it will be back and forth but Leon will get the win."

American heavyweight Curtis Blaydes: "I think it will be a hard-fought five rounds, I think Belal Muhammad will get the decision win. I think there's going to be a lot of wall grappling involved and just grappling overall, and that's where Belal shines."

Michael Bisping
Former UFC middleweight champion on TNT Sport

In Muhammad's last three fights, he has been growing so much, the difference has been remarkable.

Time for the finale.

Belal Muhammad makes his walk and, as he emerges from the bowels of the arena, is greeted by a wall of boos.

He would have known that was going to be the case - he had to face up to that kind of welcome at the news conference a couple of days ago.

British UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall: "Leon will knock him out. Later in the fight. I think it will be competitive but I don't think it will be an exciting fight. I think Leon will control range, be safe and doing his thing, and knock him out."

Image source, Getty Images

Leon Edwards won the UFC welterweight title off Kamaru Usman in stunning fashion in 2022 before retaining it in a rematch six months later.

Edwards came through his second defence against Colby Covington in December and tonight he makes history by becoming the only British fighter to make three defences of a title in the UFC.

In preparation for his previous two defences, Edwards would usually wake up at about 08:00 BST, train at 10:00 and 18:00, before going to sleep at about midnight.

For this camp, Edwards has been gradually shifting his timings later over a 10-week period so as it gets closer to fight week, he will be waking up five hours later at 13:00 BST, training at 17:00-18:00 and 21:00-22:00, before going to bed at 05:00.

Edwards will keep the same routine before the fight, going to bed at about 05:00 on Saturday before waking up at about 13:00.

"You can't just wake up and go straight to it because it’s like when you travel between time zones or have a nap in the afternoon - you wake up and feel terrible because you're out of your body's natural rhythm," said Dietician Jordan Sullivan, who works closely with Edwards, told BBC Sport.

Edwards also had to create an artificial environment to help convince his body it was time to sleep, despite going to bed nearer to sunrise.

"We're natural animals, we see the sun and want to wake up, so we got blackout curtains, really high quality eye masks, and made sure he got sun exposure when he woke up," said Sullivan.

Coral Barry
BBC Sport combat sports editor

Eight years ago, several journalists were telling me at cageside that Leon 'Rocky' Edwards was a future star if he could fulfil his potential.

Edwards was 25 at the time and in truth I didn't know a huge amount about him. I thought he was impressive in his win over Albert Tumenov but I'd be lying if I told you then I thought I was looking at a future UFC champion and the eventual heir to Michael Bisping's throne.

Edwards' rapid rise in the last two years is perhaps a surprise to many, but in truth it has been a long, steady journey to the top. A consummate professional, Edwards has always been working, even when the spotlight was far from him.

Image source, Getty Images