Belal Muhammad is convinced he’s “the most dominant welterweight” but still has a place underneath other names in his division. As such, the fighter continues to push his aspirations to get the title shot, which the UFC promised him.
“Remember The Name” has always been clear about his intention to face division champ Leon Edwards again after their first match in 2021 ended without a conclusion due to an eye-poking incident. And with Edwards now boasting the belt, his aspiration to face the Briton again has grown stronger over the past years. Unfortunately, there’s still no certainty about it despite the promotion promising him the shot after beating Gilbert Burns.
“I did all that just because all they had to tell me was ‘you’re next.’ You beat him, you’re next,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “They told me that I would be next after Colby [Covington] no matter what.”
Aside from this, the 35-year-old also took the role of a backup in the Edwards vs. Covington in order to further ensure his chance of facing the champ again. However, the UFC still hasn’t confirmed his name as Edwards’ next opponent, with the champ’s team expressing a lack of interest in him. For Muhammad, nonetheless, he knows he deserves it and can prove it if the promotion will only give him the chance.
“Honestly, I think it will really wake people up to how good I am,” Muhammad shared. “Watching how much I’ve grown since that first fight, the different styles because I’ve leveled up so much. Fighting a guy like [Demian] Maia right after that, I leveled up my grappling. Fighting a guy like [Vicente] Luque right after that, I leveled up my striking. ‘Wonderboy’ leveled up my striking. Fighting a guy like Sean Brady, I leveled up my mentality. Fighting Gilbert Burns on three weeks’ notice, I leveled up my mentality
“The level I’m at is 10 times further from that day from where Leon grew from there.”
As Muhammad shared, he’s more than ready for whoever the UFC puts in front of him, adding he’s “ready to go” and has always been in training to grab instantly any offer the company offers. And for the fighter, the promotion is still unaware of his capability.
“I think I’m the most dominant welterweight in the division and I think that once I get my shot the UFC, Dana White, all of them are going to know that they had the most dominant welterweight to ever do it standing underneath them this whole time and they’re going to realize ‘yo, we’ve got to start pushing this guy, this guy’s a monster, he’s a beast,’” Muhammad said.
