UFC welterweight title contender Belal Muhammad has confirmed that he isn’t interested in fighting Islam Makhachev.
At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad will challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight championship. It’s a fight he’s been after for a long time now, but up to this point, it hasn’t quite come to fruition. Alas, after the unbeaten run that Belal has put together, it’s impossible for the promotion to deny him this opportunity.
There are plenty of reasons to believe that he could be the underdog. After all, Leon Edwards has already done some pretty great things in his career and as champion. However, it must be noted that Muhammad has spent a lot of time training with the likes of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Following Makhachev’s win over Dustin Poirier last weekend, he noted that he wants to go up to 170 pounds in search of a second world title. When asked about possibly facing his friend and training partner, Muhammad had the following to say.
Belal Muhammad says he would never fight Islam Makhachev, and suggests that Islam should skip over 170 and go to 185 and fight Dricus du Plessis:
“I would never fight [Islam], 100%. But honestly he could go up to 185 and beat [Dricus] du Plessis right now…
Skip over 170 for a… pic.twitter.com/KmoJslwicT
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 3, 2024