Belal Muhammad is not giving up on getting back to the top of the UFC welterweight division despite losing his second straight fight.
Muhammad faced Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event of UFC Qatar on Saturday. In his first fight since losing the title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in May, Muhammad dropped a unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry — getting swept on two of the judges’ scorecards.
Following the loss, Muhammad released a brief statement on social media.
“We couldn’t get it done,”
Muhammad wrote. “Thank you Doha for the memories. Thank you to my team and family and friends that are with me no matter what and Thank you to anyone that’s with me. Alhamdillah for everything I’m blessed to be here. We have work to do.”
Muhammad capped off a lengthy unbeaten run with by defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to capture the UFC welterweight title in July 2024. In his first title defense, “Remember the Name” was defeated by Della Maddalena via unanimous decision in one of the best fights of 2025. It was the first time Muhammad lost a fight in over six years.
Machado Garry picked up his second straight victory, and is now 10-1 inside the octagon as he hoped knocking off the former champ will get him a shot at Islam Makhachev and the 170-pound title.
