Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad wants to stand and bang with Ian Machado Garry when they collide in the UFC Qatar co-main event this weekend in Doha, despite the fact that his delusional “Canelo Hands” gameplan is the exact reason he lost the welterweight strap in the first place.
Garry (16-1) insists Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC) is lying to the world — and himself.
“He hasn’t learned from his last fight if he has this approach,” Garry told MMA Junkie. “I think he’s lying to the world. I can
tell you right here, right now that I’m going to beat Belal anywhere I want, but I plan on knocking him out in the first round. There is not a chance in hell that if he starts on the feet with me that he survives past five minutes.”
Garry has not finished a fight in more than two years, registering five straight decisions.
“If you want the genuine reaction of what I believe that video is, that’s a man lying to himself,” Garry continued. “That’s a man who’s playing reverse psychology and is going to tell the world that he’s good enough to do whatever he wants when realistically, he knows he wants to grab a hold of me. It sounds like he’s already making excuses.”
This is probably the biggest fight of their respective careers because defeat at UFC Qatar will almost certainly eliminate the loser from the welterweight title chase, which already has a pair of undefeated contenders (as well as one old fart with no knees) racing toward the 170-pound finish line.
To see who else is fighting at UFC Qatar: “Arman vs. Hooker” this weekend in Doha click here.
