We’re not quite sure what type of jet lag Belal Muhammad is dealing with after flying to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294’s Q&A session on Friday, but the UFC welterweight revealed that he believes he’s one win away from cementing himself as the greatest 170-pound fighter of all-time.
Muhammad, who is unbeaten in his last 10 trips to the Octagon, is undoubtedly one of the best welterweight fighters in the sport today. In fact, fight fans have been angry to see Muhammad passed over for other contenders when UFC starts booking title fights. He has been owed a shot at the welterweight crown for quite some time and should be next in line after current UFC champion Leon Edwards meets Colby Covington at UFC 296 this December (details HERE).
On Friday, Muhammad was in attendance for the UFC 294 Q&A session in Abu Dhabi (shown HERE and in the above video player). When asked if he’d rather fight Edwards or Covington for the welterweight title Muhammad provided a clear answer, but it was his follow-up statement that has many fight fans scratching their heads.
Belal Muhammad believes a win over Leon Edwards “cements [him] as the best welterweight to ever do it.”
“When you look at my resume, it’ll be up there with GSP’s resume. There will be nobody else up there with me.” pic.twitter.com/0aYgziHlLB
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 20, 2023
“I’d rather fight Leon [Edwards], because I think that one will mean more to me,” said Muhammad. “It will cement myself as the best welterweight to ever do it. You look at my resume. it’ll be up there with GSP’s resume. There will be no one else up there with me.”
As mentioned before, Muhammad is easily one of the top 5 welterweight fighters in the game today. However, there’s simply no way a win over Edwards would launch “Remember the Name” into a discussion as the best welterweight ever. He may have career wins over Demian Maia, Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, and Sean Brady, but that doesn’t even compare to likes of Georges St-Pierre, Kamaru Usman, Matt Hughes, Tyron Woodley, or even Edwards himself.
Thoughts on Muhammad’s comment?
UFC 294 will unfold tomorrow afternoon (Sat., Oct. 21, 2023) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It will feature a main event clash between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and current UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski, as well as a middleweight co-headliner pitting Usman against undefeated sensation Khamzat Chimaev.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 294 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 294 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 294: “Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 294 fight card and PPV lineup click here.