Palestinian American welterweight contender Belal Muhammad was the backup fighter for the main event of UFC 296 between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. The second-ranked welterweight, on a 10-fight unbeaten streak, was promised a title shot by UFC CEO Dana White after his last fight which was a unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.
Edwards successfully defended the welterweight title against Covington but was hesitant to give the next title shot to Muhammad. Muhammad and Edwards have a history as they fought once in a fight that ended in No Contest after an inadvertent eye poke from Edwards.
Belal Muhammad plans to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Number 2 ranked welterweight contender Belal Muhammad recently announced in an interview with MMA Junkie that he will be going to train in Dagestan under the tutelage of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. The move comes in the backdrop of a potential welterweight title shot for Muhammad at UFC 300 against Leon Edwards.
Belal Muhammad previously trained with the Dagestani crew before his fight with Sean Brady at UFC 280. The training proved fruitful at the time as Muhammad defeated the then-undefeated Brady by TKO with Khabib Nurmagomedov also present in his corner. Both Nurmagomedov and Muhammad share the same manager Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA.
“Those guys that don’t let you take any days off or any easy rounds, so that’s always perfect for me,” Muhammad said of training with the fighters from Dagestan. “And last time I trained with those guys, we got a dominant finish, and I plan to do the same,” he further added reminiscing the time when he trained with them before.
Muhammad also talked about the advantages of training with the Dagestani crew as he feels the exposure to different styles would stimulate his evolution as a fighter. The welterweight has a commendable record in Mixed Martial Arts of 23 wins and 3 losses with all the losses in the UFC. He has won 13 times in the UFC and was undefeated before his UFC career.
Belal Muhammad eyes UFC title shot
The UFC has not announced the next title challenger for the welterweight title. Leon Edwards, before his fight with Covington at UFC 296, hinted at his interest in challenging for the middleweight title at UFC 300. Belal Muhammad criticized the decision and bashed Edwards for apparently ducking the worthy contender in him.
Edwards was recently in attendance to watch Aston Villa’s football match where he was almost sure of his fight at UFC 300. With only Shavkat Rakhmonov and Belal Muhammad as the only possible options in the welterweight division and with Rakhmonov’s injury ruling him out of a quick return, Muhammad is the likely opponent for Edwards.
Belal Muhammad confident Dana White keeps word, expects 'weak mentally' Leon Edwards at UFC 300 (via @TheGoze, @MMAJunkieGeorge) https://t.co/vuzsSpN2VQ
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 6, 2024
Rakhmonov also fought at UFC 296 where he finished Stephen Thompson and called out a shot at the title. He had earlier told Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat that Muhammad deserved the next title shot. Muhammad staunchly supports his claim to the title and has even vowed to defend the title against Rakhmonov.
UFC 300 is a very coveted PPV event for the UFC and Conor McGregor was rumored to headline the PPV with Michael Chandler. However, McGregor announced that he would be fighting Chandler on June 29 and that made the chances of Edwards defending his title against Muhammad even bigger.
Do you think Belal Muhammad will win the welterweight title in 2024? Leave your predictions below!
