Belal Muhammad hasn’t lost confidence after losing his UFC title.
Earlier this year, “The Bully” was upset by Jack Della Maddalena in a fight that took place primarily on the feet. Muhammad tried to show off his “Canelo Hands” — the best boxing in the Welterweight division, per the man himself — and wound up extremely bloody by the end of the fight as a result. Now, Muhammad did try to wrestle in that contest, but a lot of fans and analysts alike believe he should’ve been more focused on the takedown
from the first bell. After the Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della domination at UFC 322, there’s only more evidence available that Muhammad should have wrestled hard earlier in the fight.
This weekend (Sat., Nov. 22, 2o25), Muhammad will return to action at UFC Qatar in the co-main event versus Ian Machado Garry, a long and lanky kickboxer who thus far has proven a very tough nut to crack on the feet. The widely held assumption is once again that Muhammad’s best chance is to hunt the takedown, and for the second time, Muhammad is promising that he’ll outbox the striker.
“Honestly, for me, I think Ian is going to try to run around this whole first round,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “But then by the end of the first round, his little point-jabbing is not going to work. Then I’m going to grab ahold of him, I’m going to take him down, then I’m going to let him back up, just because I’m going to show him, ‘I could take you down if I want to.’ Then I’m going to outbox him because he said he could out strike me.
“He’s a pretty striker. He’s been in there with great strikers. He’s been in there with MVP, he’s been in there with Shavkat, he’s been in there with Prates, and none of those guys finished him. So, for me, it’s finishing him on the feet and reminding everybody who I am.”
Muhammad is in a difficult position ahead of UFC Qatar. Not only did he just lose badly to the man who got manhandled by Makhachev, but Muhammad and Islam are teammates who previously weren’t all that interested in fighting one another. Worse yet, the Welterweight division is exploding with young contenders right now, so Muhammad is now just one of many faces angling for a shot at gold.
It’s risky, but at 37 years of age, Muhammad may need to live up to his pre-fight promise and knock out Garry to meaningfully improve his position at 170 pounds. Alternatively, he could live up to his previous threat of jumping to Middleweight and challenging Dricus Du Plessis, another recently dethroned champion eager to get back in the hunt. There’s also that unfinished podcast with Kamaru Usman, but “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been blowing off Muhammad lately.
