The MMA community witnessed a tense war of words on social media between 3rd ranked UFC welterweight, Belal Muhammad and UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland over political views concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Muhammad, a stern supporter of the Palestine cause, and Strickland, a conservative American and self-proclaimed ‘White Trash’ are no strangers to controversy. It remains to be seen what the UFC does with the clash outside the cage. The promotion is known to often let the fighters settle their scores inside the octagon.
Belal Muhammad Claps Back at Sean Strickland
A storm is brewing in the UFC, and it’s not inside the Octagon. In a provocative tweet, Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad has laid down a direct challenge to current UFC Middleweight Champion, Sean Strickland. Muhammad tweeted, “Someone ask Dana at the presser how many times the coward Strickland said no to fight me.”
Belal Muhammad boasts a formidable 10-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC. He has 9 wins and 1 No Contest in that span with the No Contest coming against the current UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards. He is evidently keen to extend his impressive run and has his sights on the reigning middleweight champion. Sean Strickland clinched the title after a memorable victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, further cementing his dominance in the division.
However, the feud between Muhammad and Strickland is no new affair. The duo has a longstanding rivalry, which seems to be heating up again. Fans and pundits alike are now speculating if a mega-fight between the two is on the horizon. A fight between these two rivals will surely be a massive event, both inside and outside the octagon.
Muhammad is waiting for a title shot opportunity post-UFC 296 headlined by Colby Covington and Leon Edwards. A fight with Kamaru Usman had previously been insinuated by Dana White. However, Muhammad has no interest in fighting Usman on the current pay scale.
Strickland labels Belal Muhammad’s response as a “cowardly reaction”
The current feud between Muhammad and Strickland current online feud began with Muhammad’s straightforward tweet expressing his sentiment, “Pray for Palestine.” This led to a swift critical response from Strickland. He lambasted Muhammad’s choice of words and referenced recent events between Israel and Palestine.
Strickland tweeted, “This is what you’d call a coward response. Instead of taking a stand against terrorism and advocating for a peaceful resolution, you say this dumb shit… Ignoring what just happened.” The middleweight champion did not stop there and made it personal by bringing Muhammad’s American heritage into the argument, tweeting, “Belal you were born in America, you live in America just shut the fuck up.”
This is when Muhammad fired back and hinted at a potential match-up between the two suggesting that Strickland had been avoiding him in the Octagon. Their clash on X, formerly Twitter, has drawn significant attention. The fans and MMA community members weighed in on both sides of the debate.
Some support Sean Strickland’s viewpoint while others stand firmly behind Muhammad. Moreover, many are calling for a face-off inside the UFC Octagon to settle their differences. Now all eyes will be on any potential announcements from the UFC that may pit the two against each other. It is very unlikely but we never say never in the UFC.
What do you think about the possibility of a matchup between Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad? Comment below!
