Sean Strickland needs a new dance partner for the upcoming UFC 268 pay-per-view (PPV) card after original opponent, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, was injured and forced to withdraw from their Nov. 6 showdown in New York City.
Enter … Belal Muhammad?
“If they need someone for Strickland, I’m down, I hate that piece of trash,” the No. 9-ranked welterweight wrote on Twitter.
“After his last fight, ‘Oh, I’m a bad boy. I want to kill someone in the cage. I want to be the first person to murder somebody. I don’t care about titles, I’m a moron,’ Muhammad continued. “Now it’s, ‘Oh I only want to fight ranked guys who are above me and are going to get me closer to the title shot. And if it’s possible, can I fight in my home town?’ I know you have a fake persona, you’re soft.”
Strickland, ranked No. 7 at 185 pounds, shot down the proposed matchup because fighting a welterweight does nothing to advance his position in the middleweight title chase. But “Tarzan” did offer to smack Muhammad for free after drumming up some online drama.
“Listen, Belal Muhammad, I heard you’re running your fucking mouth,” Strickland said during an Instagram video. “Last time you were in (Las) Vegas, I tried to spar you because I knew you were a little fucking bitch and I wanted to hurt you, and it was a good excuse to do it.”
As of this writing, the promotion is still searching for Rockhold’s UFC 268 replacement.