UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad believes a collision with rising star Khamzat Chimaev is a logical next matchup for him.
This past weekend, Muhammad had the chance to appear in his second UFC headliner. While his first main event ended in a no-contest following an eye poke from Leon Edwards, the 33-year-old’s second outing at the top of a Fight Night card was to go a whole lot better.
In a rematch against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 51, Muhammad accomplished a number of things with his unanimous decision victory. As well as avenging his previous knockout loss to the Brazilian, “Remember The Name” secured his place in the divisional top five, title contention, and as a legitimate threat to the 170-pound throne.
Now, in a post-fight interview with ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, Muhammad has laid out what he believes makes sense for his next step inside the Octagon. The Chicago native named top-three contenders Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev as two possible opponents.
After stating that “Chaos” may not be ready to return following his altercation with Jorge Masvidal in the streets of Miami, Muhammad suggested a five-round headliner with fellow Muslim “Borz” could be on the cards.
“Honestly, I think the most sense is either Colby or Khamzat. I think both of those guys make the most sense,” said Muhammad. “I’m not sure if Colby’s jaw is still broken from getting punched by Masvidal or he’s still talking about lawyers. So, if that’s the case, then I wanna stay active and fight Khamzat. I think me and Khamzat in a five-round fight, either in Abu Dhabi or International Fight Week. (It) would be huge to have two Muslim fighters be a headliner. That would be amazing.”
While a main event showcasing two Muslims is one motive for Muhammad to push for a Chimaev meeting, the #5-ranked welterweight also has revenge on his mind for some previous social media posts.
Muhammad Wants To Make Chimaev Pay For Social Media Trolling
While his rapid rise to prominence has been largely down to his dominance and talent inside the cage, which has seen him go 5-0 in the UFC and defeat elite welterweight Gilbert Burns, Chimaev’s presence outside the Octagon has certainly helped.
As well as his new entertaining relationship with Darren Till, the Chechen-born Swede has been known for his social media antics, which have seen him target a number of fighters. One such athlete was Muhammad, who was reminded of his 2016 KO loss to Luque thanks to some of Chimaev’s posts.
With that in mind, Muhammad is hoping to get his own back on “Borz” inside the confines of the Octagon.
“He’s also one of the trolls that was out here posting the picture of—the gif of me getting knocked out by Luque, too,” noted Muhammad. “So, I would love to get that one from him… Khamzat was the troll. He posted that. Like I said, it’s one of those, it all comes full circle now.”
How do you think a fight between Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev would play out?
Continue Reading Muhammad Targets Revenge Against ‘Troll’ Chimaev In 5-Round Fight at MMA News.