Tag: belal muhammad

Daniel Cormier Defends Belal Muhammad Against Criticism Of UFC 304 Title Win: ‘That Was The Furthest Thing From A Boring Fight!’

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has dismissed the notion that Belal Muhammad captured welterweight gold in “boring” fashion. Muhammad achieved his long-held title ambitions on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage at this past weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event, held inside the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. “Remember the Name” entered the Octagon as an […]

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Defends Belal Muhammad Against Criticism Of UFC 304 Title Win: ‘That Was The Furthest Thing From A Boring Fight!’ at MMA News.

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has dismissed the notion that Belal Muhammad captured welterweight gold in “boring” fashion.

Muhammad achieved his long-held title ambitions on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage at this past weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event, held inside the Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

“Remember the Name” entered the Octagon as an underdog against Leon Edwards and with many expecting “Rocky” to handedly defend his title again given how the first round of their 2021 fight played out.

But the challenger ultimately made good on his promise to dominate the champion in his own backyard, securing control for the majority of the fight and landing some notable shots of his own on the feet en route to a unanimous decision victory.

With that, Muhammad proved his doubters wrong in a major way. But, of course, not everyone is giving the new welterweight kingpin credit. Some of his detractors have accused him of reaching the top with a less than entertaining style and performance at UFC 304.

In that regard, Muhammad has the backing of one individual who had a close view of his efforts inside the cage in the UK…

Cormier Shuts Down ‘Boring’ Accusations After Muhammad’s UFC 304 Triumph

During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier gave his take on the events that unfolded at UFC 304 from cageside inside Manchester’s Co-op Live.

Reflecting on the main event, “DC” had nothing but praise for Muhammad, admitting that he put in a display that went above and beyond what he had expected from the American-Palestinian.

The ex-heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder also pushed back on claims the UFC 304 headliner was “boring,” highlighting Muhammad’s impressive performance in all aspects of the game.

“Tonight, Belal Muhammad fought the absolute perfect fight,” Cormier said. “He said all week that he would make this look easy. I didn’t believe him, and I will say that openly. I thought he was underestimating Leon Edwards. I thought when he was walking out to the Octagon, he looked a bit confident and I wasn’t sure that it was warranted. But what he did in the Octagon tonight was so special.

“Belal gets a bit of a bad rap, and at times they say he’s boring. But I will tell you right now, that was the furthest thing from a boring fight from the new champion,” Cormier continued. “His pace was amazing, his pressure was amazing, his striking — he fought and struck with Leon Edwards. He outlanded Leon Edwards. … It was a fantastic performance.”

Continued dismissive remarks from some in the community won’t come as a surprise to Muhammad, who has long dealt with criticism from an abundance of haters. But with the welterweight title now in his possession, it’s safe to say that “Remember the Name” had the last laugh in Manchester.

He’ll now look to continue that trend by turning back challenges from the division’s pool of contenders and building a lengthy reign.

Continue Reading Daniel Cormier Defends Belal Muhammad Against Criticism Of UFC 304 Title Win: ‘That Was The Furthest Thing From A Boring Fight!’ at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Paddy Pimblett Arrives At Lightweight, Belal Muhammad Debuts On Pound-For-Pound List

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC 304, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: In addition to reaching the mountaintop at 170 pounds, Belal Muhammad’s title-winning triumph […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Paddy Pimblett Arrives At Lightweight, Belal Muhammad Debuts On Pound-For-Pound List at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC 304, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: In addition to reaching the mountaintop at 170 pounds, Belal Muhammad’s title-winning triumph over Leon Edwards this past weekend has seen him join the P4P rankings. The newly crowned welterweight champion has debuted at #6, with his defeated opponent dropping three spots to #7. Muhammad’s arrival has resulted in the removal of former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.

Also on a climb is the other man who left the Co-op Live with gold in his possession, Tom Aspinall. The interim heavyweight kingpin’s rapid knockout of Curtis Blaydes has seen him rise by two places to #9, jumping above Max Holloway (#10), Dricus Du Plessis (#11), and Alexandre Pantoja (#12).

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: No changes.

Women’s Strawweight: No changes.

Women’s Flyweight: No changes.

Women’s Bantamweight: No changes.

Flyweight: After some controversial antics and a lackluster victory at UFC 304, Muhammad Mokaev evidently didn’t do enough to convince the promotion he was worth re-signing. As a result of his departure, “The Punisher” has been quickly removed from the 125-pound rankings. That’s paved the way for Cody Durden to return at #15.

The man he beat at UFC 304, Manel Kape, has fallen by one position to #9, with both Steve Erceg (#7) and Matheus Nicolau (#8) receiving two-spot boosts to jump above “Starboy.”

Bantamweight: No changes.

Featherweight: Arnold Allen’s decision win over Giga Chikadze in the early hours of Sunday morning was enough to secure his return to the top five at 145 pounds. “Almighty” has moved up by one spot to share the #5 place with former opponent Movsar Evloev.

Lightweight: Paddy Pimblett was among the biggest winners to emerge from UFC 304, putting King Green to sleep with a triangle choke to record his first success over ranked opposition. As expected, the result has pushed “The Baddy” into contention, with the Liverpool native replacing Green at #15.

Welterweight: With Muhammad surging to the throne in Manchester, Edwards has slipped back to the #1 position as the leader in the chasing pack. That’s also left former champ Kamaru Usman one place worse off at #2.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: No changes.

Heavyweight: After falling short in his first UFC title shot, Blaydes has been relegated to #5 in the heavyweight pecking order, with Sergei Pavlovich replacing him at #4 a month on from his defeat to Alexander Volkov in Saudi Arabia.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Paddy Pimblett Arrives At Lightweight, Belal Muhammad Debuts On Pound-For-Pound List at MMA News.

Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’

The UK fans inside the Co-op Live in the early hours of Sunday morning left following a disappointing result for the home fighter. England’s Leon Edwards failed to make the third defense of his welterweight title after losing a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad. Many expected that given Edwards’ recent run of results against top […]

Continue Reading Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’ at MMA News.

The UK fans inside the Co-op Live in the early hours of Sunday morning left following a disappointing result for the home fighter.

England’s Leon Edwards failed to make the third defense of his welterweight title after losing a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad.

Many expected that given Edwards’ recent run of results against top tier opposition, he would be able to deal with the heavy grappling game of his challenger and out strike him on the feet.

This wasn’t to be the case as Muhammad regularly secured takedowns and even had success with his boxing when pressuring “Rocky” against the cage.

The constant output from the challenger kept Edwards on the back foot where he was able to make a clever adjustment that a former opponent of the defending champion’s picked up on.

Kamaru Usman Breaks Down The Adjustment Belal Muhammad Made And Where Leon Edwards Went Wrong

Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman knows Edwards better than most due to sharing the Octagon with him on three separate occasions.

As an elite wrestler, Usman constantly tested the defense of “Rocky” which fans saw improve with each fight that he spent in there with “The Nigerian Nightmare”.

He spoke on a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast where he broke down where Edwards’ style worked against him in this fight.

“Now, I fought Leon three times. I would say for a majority of all those fights, Leon put his back up against the cage. Well, he didn’t put his back there, I put him there up against the cage. You pressure him, you pressure him, you pressure him, you take away his space and Leon just doesn’t necessarily know how to fight there when you take away his space. He wants to create the space so he backs up and when he backs up, next thing you know, he puts himself up against the cage.”

Crucially, Usman broke down what Muhammad did differently to his three fights against Edwards, which meant he was able to regularly take down and control the Brit.

“Now, when you fight a guy like myself and a guy like Belal Muhammad that can change levels on you, hey, this is what you’re going to get. We’re going to change levels, we’re going to wrap our arms around your legs and we’re going to take you down every time and that’s what I did in almost every one of my fights but Leon over the time got smart enough to know, ‘Hey, I can use the cage to my advantage to stand up or to keep myself upright and make it harder for people to keep me down,’ and that’s what he was doing.

“But, it’s almost like he counters what I do which is put him up against the fence and take him down by using the fence to stand back up and stay upright but then here comes the counter, the counter-counter shall I say, in Belal Muhammad in understanding that, ‘Hey, he uses the fence very well to stand back up so when he does stand back up, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to change levels back again and I’m going to dump him either on his head or I’m going to dump him on his back again,’ and this was textbook.”

Read also: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Belal Muhammad’s Title Win Over Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘I’m A Fan Now!’

Continue Reading Kamaru Usman Reacts To Belal Muhammad Dominating Leon Edwards At UFC 304: ‘Leon Doesn’t Necessarily Know How To Fight There…’ at MMA News.

MMA News Today: Belal Muhammad Fans Shut Down Busy Road In Manchester After UFC 304, LHW Says Muhammad Mokaev Being Released Had Nothing To Do With His Fighting Style, & More

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 29, 2024, we’re taking a look at: Belal Muhammad Throws Post-Fight Celebrations In Manchester Belal Muhammad may not have had nearly as much in-arena support in Manchester as Leon Edwards but his fans rallied around […]

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Belal Muhammad Fans Shut Down Busy Road In Manchester After UFC 304, LHW Says Muhammad Mokaev Being Released Had Nothing To Do With His Fighting Style, & More at MMA News.

Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 29, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

  • Muhammad gets his moment in Manchester
  • Mokaev’s conduct called into question
  • Blaydes admits he got carried away with his striking

Belal Muhammad Throws Post-Fight Celebrations In Manchester

Belal Muhammad may not have had nearly as much in-arena support in Manchester as Leon Edwards but his fans rallied around him in victory afterwards.

In the main event of UFC 304, Muhammad capitalized on his long-awaited title shot to become the welterweight champion via unanimous decision.

Before he made the trip back home, the newly crowned champion celebrated on the streets of Manchester, as he drove down the street with the title in hand.

Fans showed up to support him and blocked the busy Wilmslow Road in Rusholme on Sunday night, with Palestinian flags being waved in the crowd that gathered.

The videos posted on social media show a long backlog of cars waiting for the crowd to disperse in order to get through.

Zac Pauga Says There Is More To Muhammad Mokaev Not Being Re-Signed Than His Fighting Style

One of the most surprising stories to come out of UFC 304 was Muhammad Mokaev’s future in the UFC.

Despite beating another top flyweight contender in Manel Kape and improving his record to 13-0 at just 23 years old, Dana White announced that the promotion will not be renewing his contract now that it has concluded.

Mokaev had made comments after his fight about being told by a member of UFC staff that they didn’t want to see him realy on his heavy grappling style, if he was going to get a new deal.

White later clarified in his post-fight press conference that the decision was made due to the issues he causes outside of the Octagon, like starting brawls, rather than what he does inside it.

UFC light heavyweight contender Zac Pauga seconded this on social media, suggesting that there is more to Mokaev’s issues behind the scenes than White revealed.

“Like I said in getting tired of being the ‘inside guy’. Just know that mokaev being released had nothing to do with his fighting style, the fact that he has all these accolades and they are willing to let him walk should tell you something”

Curtis Blaydes Says He Got ‘Greedy’ At UFC 304 In Post-Fight Statement

Curtis Blaydes posted his first statement after coming up short in his first UFC title fight this past weekend in Manchester.

Blaydes looked to claim the interim heavyweight title from Tom Aspinall in a rematch that lasted just one minute, after Aspinall dropped his opponent and poured on the pressure to get the stoppage.

In a message on his Instagram story, “Razor” thanked his supporters and said that he got overzealous with his striking early on.

Blaydes was able to have success in the striking range early on but trading with the Brit didn’t appear to be the approach that he and his team had planned for.

“Sorry guys, I got greedy when I touched him early and threw out the amazing gameplan that my coaches Vinnie Lopez (and) Cody Donovan came up with that would’ve worked I’m sure of it. No excuses Tom was on point tonight I know this isn’t the end of my journey but damnit, I know I’m better than tonight’s performance. I appreciate all the support truly it’s been an eye opening experience to have so many ppl rocking with me,” Blaydes wrote.

Curtis Blaydes
Image: @razorblaydes265/Instagram

Read more on the story here.

For more MMA news, check out:

Continue Reading MMA News Today: Belal Muhammad Fans Shut Down Busy Road In Manchester After UFC 304, LHW Says Muhammad Mokaev Being Released Had Nothing To Do With His Fighting Style, & More at MMA News.

UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’

UFC 304 appears to be a personal affair for welterweight title challenger Belal Muhammad, who has had to wait a long time to get his shot. Ever since the way that his first fight ended with Leon Edwards three years ago, Muhammad has been campaigning for this rematch and slandering the character of “Rocky.” “Remember […]

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’ at MMA News.

UFC 304 appears to be a personal affair for welterweight title challenger Belal Muhammad, who has had to wait a long time to get his shot.

Ever since the way that his first fight ended with Leon Edwards three years ago, Muhammad has been campaigning for this rematch and slandering the character of “Rocky.”

“Remember the Name” has continued to speak about how winning the title is one thing but beating Edwards for it in particular makes this fight even more meaningful to him.

The champion, on the other hand, believes that his opponent is coming up with this narrative and has referred to him as “deluded.”

John Gooden Believes Leon Edwards Isn’t Bothered By Belal Muhammad’s Words Pre-UFC 304

Muhammad’s trash talk at the press conference on fight week didn’t appear to bother Edwards, and UFC commentator John Gooden believes that this comes from experience.

He spoke in an interview with InsideFighting about how he doesn’t think the champion is going to be bothered by anything that his next opponent can say about him.

Having already gone through the experience of facing Colby Covington in his last outing, Edwards has been through the ringer when it comes to pre-fight comments.

“Leon, I think, used to suffer from some of that and biting back and not really finding the right sort of quips and banter to answer back. I’m going back to like, Darren Till times, because before that, it didn’t really happen. But I feel like when he walked out and then he got the boos in London, I think he was a little bit p***** off.

“But, he’s now gone through issues with Kamaru, Kamaru was still digging at home and it wasn’t egregious and really horrible and toxic like Colby was. But I think when you go through a little bit more and a little bit more, your skin gets thicker, and then you realize like, ‘What’s the use in me taking this on board?’ And I have to say, I’ve had a few interactions with Leon now and his team and I think he’s just laughing a lot of it off. Belal is really going in on Leon, really going in.”

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Feels Belal Muhammad’s Trash Talk Is Not Affecting Leon Edwards At All: ‘I Think He’s Laughing It All Off’ at MMA News.

Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’

UFC welterweight challenger Belal Muhammad’s bold claim regarding his division’s GOAT contention drew out plenty of reactions on social media. Muhammad is currently across the pond ahead of his first opportunity at winning gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. He’ll headline Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view in competition for Leon Edwards’ title inside the Co-op […]

Continue Reading Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’ at MMA News.

UFC welterweight challenger Belal Muhammad’s bold claim regarding his division’s GOAT contention drew out plenty of reactions on social media.

Muhammad is currently across the pond ahead of his first opportunity at winning gold on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. He’ll headline Saturday’s UFC 304 pay-per-view in competition for Leon Edwards’ title inside the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

Riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak, “Remember the Name” has been firm in stating that a crowning is inevitable. He’s made claims of superiority over Edwards, whose skillset he’s frequently downplayed. He even recently placed the champ down at fourth in his welterweight rankings.

Despite that, though, Muhammad stated during a fight week interview with MMA Fighting that a victory over “Rocky” at UFC 304 will put him directly below the great Georges St-Pierre in the division’s GOAT discussion.

“That belt doesn’t belong on his shoulder, it belongs on my shoulder,” Muhammad said. “My goal isn’t just to be the champion; my goal is to be the best welterweight to ever do it. For me to go out there and beat Leon, who beat Usman twice who everybody thought was the best welterweight to do it, then I’m ahead of him and right underneath GSP.

“When you look at both of our lineups, it’s like, I beat ‘Wonderboy,’ I beat this guy, I beat that guy, then I get these next young killers,” Muhammad continued. “You give me the Shavkats, you give me the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, and (if) I walk through all of them, there’s nothing else, right? I’m just going to be cemented as the best to ever do it.”

Fans React To Muhammad’s Claim To Second In Welterweight GOAT Debate: ‘Complete Insanity’

Unsurprisingly, those remarks from a polarizing figure in Muhammad led to plenty of pushback from his detractors on social media, with many branding the top welterweight contender “delusional.”

Continue Reading Fans React As Belal Muhammad Says UFC 304 Win Puts Him Right Below GSP: ‘People Who Believe The Moon Is Made Of Cheese Are Less Wrong’ at MMA News.