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On Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Leon Edwards finally makes his return to Octagon when he faces off with Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC Fight Night. The welterweight fight ends a lengthy stretch of bad luck that has kept Edwards out of the cage since July 2019, and could set him up with a fight for the 170-pound title.

After Edwards defeated Rafael Dos Anjos to extend his current winning streak to eight, he eyed many of the top contenders in the division, but it took months before a fight with former champion Tyron Woodley would be lined up. That fight fell apart, however, as part of one of the first UFC cards to be canceled in 2020 as the promotion reacted to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 scratched Edwards from a planned December bout with Khamzat Chimaev. Then the fight was rescheduled for January, but Chimaev tested positive for the virus. Pushed to February, the fight fell through again as Chimaev has continued to struggle with recovering, going as far as to announce his retirement out of frustration.

Needing a fight, the Edwards team was able to lock down a matchup with Muhammad, a bout they felt was below their fighter but necessary to get him back in the mix. UFC president Dana White has suggested that Edwards will have earned a title shot with a victory, locking down a rematch with Kamaru Usman, who handed Edwards his last defeat back in 2015.

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Muhammad may not have the same high ranking as Edwards, but he's a solid, experienced fighter who has quietly compiled an 8-1 record since 2017. His most recent fight in February against Dhiego Lima was an impressively complete performance that certainly earned Muhammad the opportunity to fight a higher-ranked opponent.

With Muhammad making a turnaround just one month after the Lima fight and Edwards coming back after nearly 20 months out of action, there will be plenty of attention paid to cage rust or fatigue depending on how the fight plays out and which fighter looks sharper once the referee's instructions are done.

This card has a few fun names scattered about with six bouts set for main card action beginning at 8 p.m. ET. One of interest may be a featherweight tilt between Dan Ige and Gavin Tucker in a featured slot. Ige, 29, was one of the early stars of the pandemic cards in early 2020 after scoring a pair of split decision wins over Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza. He got his chance in a huge step up against Calvin Kattar just two months after the Barboza bout, but he was outclassed. Now, he looks to kickstart another win streak after having Kattar end his latest at six.

Also featured on the card are a pair of middleweights looking to kickstart a run. Darren Stewart and Eryk Anders open up the main card action with a bit of urgency in mind. Stewart and Anders are both coming off losses in 2020. Stewart got off to a quick start in August with a submission of Maki Pitolo, but dropped a tough decision to Kevin Holland on a quick turnaround in September. Anders, meanwhile, lost a decision himself to Krzysztof Jotko in May and hasn't fought since. That loss ended a two-fight win streak from 2019.

Here's the fight card for UFC Fight Night with the latest odds from William Hill Sportsbook.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

FavoriteUnderdogWeightclass

Leon Edwards -270

Belal Muhammad +220

Welterweight

Misha Cirkunov -130

Ryan Spann +110

Light heavyweight

Dan Ige -150

Gavin Tucker +125

Featherweight

Jonathan Martinez -310
Davey Grant +250
Bantamweight
Manel Kape -135
Matheus Nicolau +115
Flyweight
Darren Stewart -180
Eryk Anders +155
Middleweight

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: March 13 | Start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
Stream: ESPN+

Prediction

Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad: There's truly no way to know what to expect from a fighter who has been out of the cage for 20 months. At his best, Edwards is the kind of fighter whose biggest strength is in shutting down another fighter with pure pace and pressure. Muhammad is a very similar fighter, but one who does those same things a step or two less effectively than Edwards. On Muhammad's 8-1 run, he has only scored one stoppage victory. Similarly, Edwards has only picked up two stoppage wins on his current eight-fight winning streak. If one thing seems like a lock, it's this fight going the full 25 minutes. Pick: Leon Edwards via UD