Surging UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad, ranked No. 5 at 170 pounds, seemed to be on a collision course with division sensation Khamzat Chimaev; however, the promotion had other plans and sent “Borz” into battle against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 in Las Vegas.
Then Chimaev missed weight — by a country mile — and was instead matched up against Kevin Holland. Despite his misstep, the Swedish wrestling champion laughed at his critics and flipped off the boo birds at the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh ins, which didn’t sit well with his welterweight peers.
“That was crazy,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie ahead of UFC 280 (transcribed by Jamie Harkin). “I think it comes down to, when you’re fighting a guy like Nate Diaz, everybody thought he was gonna run through him. They all thought it was an easy fight… So, if you’re Khamzat, how hard are you really working for that fight? … He’s not gonna do the extra running, the extra cardio… he’s not doing none of that stuff because a lack of respect for the opponent.”
A victory over No. 8-ranked Sean Brady at the UFC 280 pay-per-view (PPV) this Sat. (Oct. 22) at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi may leave Muhammad at or near the top of the list of eligible title contenders, which could then lead to a Chimaev title eliminator.
Assuming “Borz” can “stop being fat.”
“In general, he’s just fat,” Muhammad continued. “Like, stop eating fat, stop being fat, stop acting fat, stop acting stupid. Get disciplined because you probably could’ve got a title fight right off that if you’d have won and came out on weight. So now it cost you that opportunity. The UFC still loves him so he may still get a title fight and a piece of the company just because of how big his name is right now, but for fighters in general, we look at that like disrespect. When you’re coming in that high, laughing, and giving the middle finger, that’s a joke.”
Chimaev has yet to respond to Muhammad’s comments.
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