Tag: belal muhammad

After UFC Booking Shuffle, Champion Belal Muhammad Takes a Jab At Rival Leon Edwards

After UFC Booking Shuffle, Champion Belal Muhammad Takes a Jab At Rival Leon EdwardsBelal Muhammad thinks he’s a funny guy. Wednesday was a busy day for UFC as CEO Dana White delivered…

After UFC Booking Shuffle, Champion Belal Muhammad Takes a Jab At Rival Leon Edwards

Belal Muhammad thinks he’s a funny guy.

Wednesday was a busy day for UFC as CEO Dana White delivered a series of blockbuster announcements, including news of Muhammad’s first defense of his welterweight title. In July, ‘Remember The Name’ delivered a mostly dominant performance against Leon Edwards to claim his first UFC gold.

Now, he’ll put it on the line against the division’s fourth-ranked contender, Jack Della Maddalena, at UFC 315 in Montreal.

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The announcement came out of left field considering Maddalena was actually scheduled to headline the promotion’s return to London next month against none other than Leon Edwards.

Instead, ‘Rocky’ will now square off with Sean Brady inside the iconic O2 Arena while Maddalena will get promoted to his inaugural title opportunity on MMA’s biggest stage.

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Following the announcement, Muhammad went on social media and threw some shade at the man he took the welterweight belt from last year.

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Dang I stole Leon’s belt and his opponent,” Muhammad wrote on X.

Belal Muhammad looks to hand JDM his first loss inside the Octagon

Muhammad was originally scheduled to defend his belt in December against Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he was forced to bow out of the bout due to an infection in his foot. Unfortunately, ‘Nomad’ revealed that he was still nursing an injury and would be unable to go on May 10 when the UFC heads back to the Bell Centre.

Enter Jack Della Maddalena.

The Australian knockout artist is a perfect 7-0 under the UFC banner, including a third-round TKO over one-time title challenger Gilbert Burns in his last outing at UFC 299.

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UFC Star Shavkat Rakhmonov Explains Why He Declined Welterweight Title Fight Against Belal Muhammad

UFC star Shavkat Rakhmonov Explains Why He Declined Welterweight Title Match Against Belal MuhammadShavkat Rakhmonov revealed why he won’t be the first fighter to challenge Belal Muhammad for the UFC welterweight world…

UFC star Shavkat Rakhmonov Explains Why He Declined Welterweight Title Match Against Belal Muhammad

Shavkat Rakhmonov revealed why he won’t be the first fighter to challenge Belal Muhammad for the UFC welterweight world title.

On Wednesday, Dana White dropped a series of big-fight bombshells on social media, including the reveal that Muhammad would be putting his 170-pound title on the line for the very first time on Saturday, May 10 when the promotion heads back to the Bell Centre in Montreal for UFC 315.

There, ‘Remember The Name’ will square off with the No. 4 ranked contender, Jack Della Maddalena.

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The news came as a bit of a shock to fight fans as everyone expected Shavkat Rakhmonov to be first up for Muhammad. In fact, ‘Nomad’ was even scheduled to challenge the champ in December, but Muhammad suffered an injury that forced him to bow out of the bout.

Shavkat Rakhmonov reveals why he’s not fighting Muhammad at UFC 315

As it turns out, Rakhmonov was offered the spot in May, but an injury forced him to turn it down.

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“Big thanks to the UFC for offering me the shot at the belt first,” Rakhmonov wrote on X. “Unfortunately, due to injury, I won’t be ready for May. I’ll be facing the winner later this year.”

Fortunately, it sounds like the UFC isn’t giving Rakhmanov the Arman Tsarukyan treatment. But considering that ‘Nomad’ stayed on UFC 310 despite suffering a serious pre-fight knee injury, they do kinda owe him the opportunity.

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It’s unclear if it’s the same injury that’s keeping Rakhmonov off of UFC 315, but depending on the severity of an MCL injury, it could take a few weeks to several months to fully heal.

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Jack Della Maddalena Pulled From UFC London, Challenges Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad At UFC 315

A new main event is set to go down in London next month after Jack Della Maddalena was announced as the next challenger to UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad’s reign. Della Maddalena was originally set to headline on March 22 in England’s capital in a likely title eliminator opposite Leon Edwards. But among a slew […]

A new main event is set to go down in London next month after Jack Della Maddalena was announced as the next challenger to UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad’s reign.

Della Maddalena was originally set to headline on March 22 in England’s capital in a likely title eliminator opposite Leon Edwards. But among a slew of announcements Thursday night, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the Australian has been replaced by Sean Brady.

Rather than injury or travel issues causing the chance, Della Maddalena has found himself with an unexpected opportunity to capture gold next time out.

The striking specialist will headline UFC 315 in Montreal on May 10 in competition for Muhammad’s title due to an injury to number one contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

“Nomad” has now seen two planned championship chances slip away. He was originally set to compete for the gold last December before a bone infection forced Muhammad out on late notice. He subsequently beat Ian Garry to further cement his claim to the next shot.

The Kazakh fighter will now be waiting in the wings to face the winner, as Della Maddalena looks to ride his undefeated UFC record all the way to the top in the “Great White North.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Brutal Advice to Belal Muhammad after UFC Title Win Revealed

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Brutal Advice to Belal Muhammad after UFC Title Win RevealedKhabib Nurmagomedov had some eye-opening advice for Belal Muhammad following the Chicago native’s welterweight title win last year. After…

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Brutal Advice to Belal Muhammad after UFC Title Win Revealed

Khabib Nurmagomedov had some eye-opening advice for Belal Muhammad following the Chicago native’s welterweight title win last year.

After winning nine straight inside the Octagon, ‘Remember The Name’ secured the biggest win of his career at UFC 304, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Leon Edwards in Manchester to capture the welterweight championship.

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Returning to the ‘Second City’ shortly after, Muhammad received a hero’s welcome, but his time to celebrate was cut short after ‘The Eagle’ broke down what it means to not just become a UFC champion but to remain a UFC champion.

“Khabib told me, like, the first thing he told me after the fight was, ‘Now you got to train twice as hard because now the bullseye is on your back. Everybody’s only looking at you, and they’re trying to find your weaknesses. So you have to keep working and keep evolving,’” Muhammad told Barstool Chicago.

“There are a lot of champions who will win the belt, and then, all of a sudden, they’re getting a lot more money. They’re getting a lot more, party invites. So, guys will fall off.”

Could Belal Muhammad’s first UFC title defense go down in Chi-Town?

Muhammad was originally set to defend his title for the first time at UFC 310 against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Unfortunately, he was forced to bow out of the bout due to an infection in his foot.

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Since then, no details have been announced regarding when we will see Muhammad back inside the Octagon, but the UFC’s rumored return to Chicago later this year could offer fans a close as to when.

“I’m looking to go everywhere on this planet,” White told Sports Business Journal late last year. “We’re going to start going into cities that we haven’t been to [since] pre-pandemic. We’re going to start going back. We’re going to do Chicago in ‘25. We’re going to go back up to Seattle and hit a lot of other places that we haven’t been in a while, so we’re going to move around a lot in ’25.”

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If the promotion plans on making its way to The Windy City in the first half of 2025, there’s a good chance we could see Muhammad put off his return a little longer so that he can defend his title in front of a hometown crowd.

Belal Muhammad Breaks Down How Dricus Du Plessis Fight Would Play Out: ‘Then I Put Him To Sleep…’

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad continues to step up talk of a push for two-division title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Muhammad was quick to raise the topic of adding middleweight gold to his collection in the aftermath of the latest 185-pound title fight — a lopsided decision victory for Dricus Du Plessis […]

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad continues to step up talk of a push for two-division title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Muhammad was quick to raise the topic of adding middleweight gold to his collection in the aftermath of the latest 185-pound title fight — a lopsided decision victory for Dricus Du Plessis over challenger Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 312.

While the South African followed up his submission of Israel Adesanya with a dominant display this past weekend in Sydney, “Remember the Name” evidently wasn’t too impressed, claiming that his crowning up a weight class would be comfortable.

And the 170-pound kingpin reiterated that sentiment on X recently by breaking down exactly how he’d defeat Du Plessis inside the Octagon. Should all go to plan for Muhammad, the bout would end with “Stillknocks” rendered unconscious.

“I’d come out him with a 1-2 then he’d wing an overhand I’ll duck it change levels and take him down then he’d shrimp and get the underhook to get out but he’ll be to weak to get up so then I’ll hit him with ground and pound for the rest of round 1. Round 2 starts and I come out with a flying knee he shells up then I hit him with the zabit back trip then point and laugh at him (this makes him mad) he gets up and charges foward winging punches at me I slide out of the way with ease then hit him with a 1-2 then he gets frustrated shoots for a takedown I defend with ease but now he’s tired and stays on his knees I kick him to the body while he’s on the ground. End of round 2. .. round 3 starts and he’s distraught he can’t hit me he can’t take me down so then he tries spinning stuff I back up at the right time and end up taking his back he lets me under chin out of frustration then I put him to sleep … and new double champ”

Before having the chance to bring such a scenario to fruition, Muhammad has work to do in his current division.

“Remember the Name” is yet to defend the belt since wrestling it away from Leon Edwards in Manchester last July. That’s courtesy of a bone infection that canceled his planned showdown with undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov two months ago.

While Muhammad likely prepares for a second shot at stalling “Nomad’s” championship aspirations, Du Plessis is also expected to face an undefeated challenger next in the form of Khamzat Chimaev.

Belal Muhammad Breaks Down How Dricus Du Plessis Fight Would Play Out: ‘Then I Put Him To Sleep…’

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad continues to step up talk of a push for two-division title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. Muhammad was quick to raise the topic of adding middleweight gold to his collection in the aftermath of the latest 185-pound title fight — a lopsided decision victory for Dricus Du Plessis […]

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad continues to step up talk of a push for two-division title glory on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

Muhammad was quick to raise the topic of adding middleweight gold to his collection in the aftermath of the latest 185-pound title fight — a lopsided decision victory for Dricus Du Plessis over challenger Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 312.

While the South African followed up his submission of Israel Adesanya with a dominant display this past weekend in Sydney, “Remember the Name” evidently wasn’t too impressed, claiming that his crowning up a weight class would be comfortable.

And the 170-pound kingpin reiterated that sentiment on X recently by breaking down exactly how he’d defeat Du Plessis inside the Octagon. Should all go to plan for Muhammad, the bout would end with “Stillknocks” rendered unconscious.

“I’d come out him with a 1-2 then he’d wing an overhand I’ll duck it change levels and take him down then he’d shrimp and get the underhook to get out but he’ll be to weak to get up so then I’ll hit him with ground and pound for the rest of round 1. Round 2 starts and I come out with a flying knee he shells up then I hit him with the zabit back trip then point and laugh at him (this makes him mad) he gets up and charges foward winging punches at me I slide out of the way with ease then hit him with a 1-2 then he gets frustrated shoots for a takedown I defend with ease but now he’s tired and stays on his knees I kick him to the body while he’s on the ground. End of round 2. .. round 3 starts and he’s distraught he can’t hit me he can’t take me down so then he tries spinning stuff I back up at the right time and end up taking his back he lets me under chin out of frustration then I put him to sleep … and new double champ”

Before having the chance to bring such a scenario to fruition, Muhammad has work to do in his current division.

“Remember the Name” is yet to defend the belt since wrestling it away from Leon Edwards in Manchester last July. That’s courtesy of a bone infection that canceled his planned showdown with undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov two months ago.

While Muhammad likely prepares for a second shot at stalling “Nomad’s” championship aspirations, Du Plessis is also expected to face an undefeated challenger next in the form of Khamzat Chimaev.