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“He Just Fake” – Joe Rogan and Belal Muhammad Question Khamzat Chimaev’s ‘Mentality’ at UFC 279

Published 01/20/2023, 2:00 PM EST

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UFC 279 gave the UFC star on the rise, Khamzat Chimaev, the biggest fight of his career against Nate Diaz. However, when the Swede stood on the scales, the scales didn’t tip in his favor. And thus, he weighed 8 lbs over the prescribed limit. While the wrester-turned-MMA fighter claimed a sweeping victory against Kevin Holland in a catchweight fight under the same card, fans still speculate about the actual reason for his weight miss. Similarly, another UFC star Belal Muhammad recently gave his own opinion of the same. Notably, appearing on the biggest podcast on the planet, the American fighter specifically pointed toward the mentality the ‘fake’ Swedish fighter carried into the fight.

In JRE MMA Show #134, the UFC color commentator Joe Rogan welcomed the 34-year-old fighter. As expected, the conversation hovered around the recent MMA developments, including the upcoming UFC events, and the release of Francis Ngannou. Further, the welterweight fighter disclosed his recent failures to set an Octagon date with Gilbert Burns and the fighter he is chasing for some time now, Khamzat Chimaev.

Muhammad indicates the reason Khamzat Chimaev missed the weight

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In the segment, the 55-year-old podcaster detailed the troubles the #3 ranked welterweight faced while making his weight before the eventful fight. The guest following this opined that no fighter smiled while cutting the weight.

via Getty

Subsequently, ‘Remember the Name’ told the standup comic, “For me, I think it’s just the mentality before that fight. You are fighting Nate Diaz. Not you have to do the extra jogging, extra running. Well, you are in camp. It’s not somebody that making me work hard.”

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Adding to his statements, the Chicago-born recalled the time he fought ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. He admitted he worked twice as hard and practiced 5 times a day. Additionally, the 22-3 record holder acknowledged he did whatever he could do, as he was afraid of what Thompson could do to him in the ring.

Afterward, the #5 ranked welterweight fighter stated, “Nate Diaz was like, pretty much, pretty sure, probably you [Khamzat Chimaev] were gonna beat him. Pretty easily in the first round if you are Khamzat. So I think his motivation back then wasn’t there.”

This statement found a supporter in the former Fear Factor host himself. While the comedian was finding a second reason to pinpoint besides Chimaev not working hard enough; the MMA fighter interrupted him.

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Thus, the Roufusport team representative added, “Or he just fake.”

Belal Muhammad last graced the Octagon at UFC’s Abu Dhabi event at UFC 280. Piling up another impressive victory against Sean Brady; the fighter remains a fight away from the title shot, which has eluded him so far.

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Watch This Story: Supplements that 55-year-old Joe Rogan takes to stay healthy

What do you think of these comments made by UFC star Belal Muhammad? Do you also agree with him? Let us know in the comment below.

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Written by:

Rohit Lohan

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Rohit Lohan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. After completing his undergraduate as a History major, he is currently pursuing LLB. Rohit is a big MMA fan and has been following UFC since 2017.
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Edited by:

Vineet Nandwana