Expected to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 300 in April in a championship rematch with undisputed gold holder, Leon Edwards, surging welterweight contender, Belal Muhammad has been compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov – in terms of the pair’s wrestling styles, in particular.
Muhammad, the current number two ranked welterweight contender, has been teased as a potential opponent for former-foe, Edwards at UFC 300 in April – in the form of a championship rematch between the two, following an initial clash two years prior.
Earning his championship tilt back in May at UFC 288, Illinois native, Muhammad landed a dominant shutout decision win over former title chaser, Gilbert Burns over the course of five rounds, extending his unbeaten run to 10 consecutive fights.
Belal Muhammad compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov
And ahead of his first-ever championship excursion later this opening quarter, Muhammad, who is set to train with lightweight kingpin, Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 300, has drawn comparisons to the Russian’s coach and former lightweight titlleholder, Nurmagomedov, by former champion, Henry Cejudo.
“It’s going to be a great, competitive fight,” Henry Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “Stylistically, the way that Belal Muhammad – what he did to Gilbert Burns and how he did it to him, he’s only gotten better. I will say this: The closest person to a guy like Khabib Nurmagomedov, his name is actually Belal Muhammad.”
“They do the same kind of cross steps,” Cejudo explained. “They kind of run and shoot. They do the same kind of feints with that lead hand to eventually level change for the takedown.”
And whilst Muhammad is widely expected to fight Edwards at UFC 300 later this year, speculation has been rife earlier this week regarding a potential drafting into the fold of former two-time title chaser, Jorge Masvidal – who confirmed he is “unretired” from combat sports at the beginning of this month, having called time on his tenure just 8 months ago.
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