Belal Muhammad is one of the most underrated fighters in the welterweight division. Skill at its highest level isn’t the only thing that is looked at in a promotion like the UFC. A marketable personality is something that they look for, along with how well you can fight. ‘Remember The Name’ has been climbing the welterweight ladder, but still has a long way to go. 

Beating a welterweight like Vicente Luque definitely helped Muhammad rise as he did it with the right balance between aggression and fight IQ. Muhammad, predominantly a grappler, left fans in shock when he outstruck a fighter like Luque. A fighter with great grappling skills and a beard is more often than not compared to the Lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

In an interview with Marc Raimondi for ESPN MMA, Belal Muhammad talked about his performance during Fight Night and compared his style and path to the former Dagestani champ. 

“Yeah, I mean, some people just literally want you to stand up from each other until somebody dies, but for me, I already like, like Khabib says, like I already know I’m tough. I already know I can take punches.“

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He added, “I already know I can sit there and bang if I have to bang, but, I’m also smart. And I think that separates me from a lot of these guys, where I know how to break down guys, I know how to analyze how to win a fight, I know how to see what their weaknesses is and figure out a game plan to come up with to beat them.“

What’s next for Belal Muhammad? 

Muhammad, who sits at #6 in the welterweight rankings, can only go up from beating an opponent like Vicente Luque. It won’t make sense for Belal Muhammad to fight lower-ranked opponents if he’s looking to become champion anytime soon.

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Gilbert Burns, Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, and Khamzat Chimaev- These are some of the plausible choices should the UFC go that way. ‘Durinho’ is a plausible fight for Muhammad, since he just suffered a loss to Khamzat Chimaev. It will be a good test for both men as they are good grapplers and have the potential to stand and trade as well.