Belal Muhammad’s quest for respect: Why he’s tired of being overlooked.
MMA has always been a sport where respect is earned in the process of training and the price one has to pay in the cage. But as we have seen with the likes of Belal Muhammad, even when a fighter is winning the majority of his or her bouts, it doesn’t mean that they will be getting the attention they deserve. Despite the great record, the grit, and the unquestionable work ethic, Muhammad has been rather neglected in the public and promotional discourse about the top fighters of the UFC. Belal Muhammad has always been very open about the problems he encounters and his irritation with the fact that nobody pays attention to him. This article looks at the reasons why Muhammad has not been given his due recognition, how he has fared in the welterweight category and why he feels that the recognition he has been denied for so long is long overdue. The Underdog Journey: Rising Through the Ranks Without Attention Belal Muhammad was born on July 9, 1988, in Chicago, Illinois, to Palestinian parents and thus work ethic was not foreign to him. He started his career in the MMA in 2012 and with time, he has fought and won many fights and has been ranked in the UFC welterweight division. It is important to note that one of the biggest issues that fighters such as Muhammad faces is the ability to get past the wall of public focus. UFC fighters have always been able to gain attention through either their finishing skills or through self promotion. Some of the popular fighters include Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, and Nate Diaz that gained fame not only by their fighting skills but also by their attitude and ability to market themselves. Belal Muhammad, on the other hand, is known to be a ‘grinder’ – a hard-working, humble, and polite fighter and this has not always been a good thing in a combat sport that is ruled by larger-than-life characters. Perhaps, his rather unassuming personality away from the MMA cage has also played a role in this, but the fighting style he adopts has also been an issue. Although Muhammad has been able to create a winning spree, he has always been described as a ‘grinder’ in the ring, a fighter who focuses on wearing down opponents with work rate, pressure and volume rather than flashy knockouts. This is a good strategy though – Muhammad’s cardio and his ability to break down his opponents are arguably the best in the division, but it is not the most glamorous and flashy style that would attract the attention of casual viewers and big promotions. This, coupled with the fact that there are no famous “quotes” from outside the cage, has meant that he has been rather underrated despite the impressive record. Belal Muhammad’s UFC Career: It’s as simple as this: The numbers don’t lie. Belal Muhammad’s UFC journey has been quite remarkable to say the least. Some of the best and the most dangerous welterweight fighters have been defeated by him in the ring. At the time of this writing, which is September of 2023, Muhammad is 23-3-0 (with one no-contest) in his professional MMA career. He made his UFC debut in 2016 and with each fight, he has been getting better and better having defeated the likes of Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, Demian Maia and many more. Still, Muhammad has been battling the problem of being outshone by other fighters in the division who may be more commercially viable or more colorful personalities. Some fighters with rather less stable records or even those who have recently been defeated have been given chances which according to Muhammad should have been given to him. For instance, in early 2021, Muhammad had won four fights in a row but was only given a high stakes fight against Leon Edwards, a top contender at the time. However, the fight was stopped in a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke on the eye of Muhammad which left him without the much needed victory that would have placed him closer to title shot. In a sport that is all about timing, the above moments have not helped him in any way but to postpone his chance at the title. However, the numbers don’t lie, Muhammad has one of the most active winning streaks in the UFC welterweight division and everyone should know by now that he is a force to reckon with when it comes to fighting top tier opponents in the division. The Leon Edwards Dilemma: When Respect Is Delayed A turning point that can be noted in the career of Belal Muhammad was during the fight against Leon Edwards in March 2021. Edwards was a dangerous striker who was on a great winning streak and was being set up to challenge for the title and this fight was supposed to be one of the stepping stones towards that goal. But the bout was not without controversy as Edwards accidentally poked the eye of his opponent in the second round which resulted to a no-contest. This was not just a night of disappointment to Muhammad, it was a night of lost chance to show that he is an equal to the best of his competitors. After the fight nobody really spoke about a second fight, though Muhammad was quite keen on the idea himself. The UFC then decided to proceed with Edwards and soon Edwards was given his own route towards the title. Edwards would later on reclaim the UFC welterweight title from Kamaru Usman but Muhammad was left hanging, having to fight his way to the top without the assurance of getting a shot at the title. For Muhammad this was just a small example of the bigger picture of his everyday struggles. Although Edwards was able to shrug off the no-contest and continue with his career, Muhammad was again left without a job. Nevertheless, it was as if UFC and its matchmakers
Belal Muhammad’s brutal honesty: Why he wants no part of Conor McGregor.
Belal Muhammad is one of the top contenders in the UFC’s welterweight division, and not only has he shown great skill inside the octagon but also openness outside of it. As a fighter who consistently climbs the rankings with a hard-nosed style and unrelenting work ethic, Muhammad has made it clear that he’s here for one thing: He was a multiple time Olympic gold medallist and had won many championship golds. However, when the issue of a possible fight with the biggest star of the MMA, Conor McGregor, is raised, Muhammad’s reaction is quite unexpected. While many of his colleagues are eager for a bout with the Irishman because of the fame, money or recognition that it brings, Muhammad has no interest in fighting McGregor. His reasons are very much individual and moral and they are very much in line with the general idea of MMA. In this article, I will explain why Belal Muhammad does not want any part of Conor McGregor, looking into his brutal honesty about the fight, his career path, the current state of McGregor’s career, and the ethical issues that are behind his decision. On the way, we will also discuss the culture of money fights in the UFC and how Muhammad’s attitude is different from the general one. Belal Muhammad: An example of a true fighter’s fighter. To grasp why Belal Muhammad doesn’t want to share the octagon with Conor McGregor, one needs to get to know the former a bit more. Muhammad is a Chicago native with Palestinian immigrant parents and has always been a fighter in the most literal sense. His UFC career is proof of the hard working man’s attitude where nothing was ever given to him. Muhammad was not a person who became famous overnight or a fighter who became an overnight star after one fight. However, he got to be one of the favorites to win the title by working his way through every fight, and sometimes without much fanfare. Although not the most technical of fighters with his wrestling background and a rather aggressive, pressure-oriented fighting style, Muhammad may not be the most aesthetically pleasing fighter to watch, but he gets the job done. This has been due to his pressure, his use of takedown shots and his control of range which has made him a tricky opponent for many of the welterweight division. In the course of his UFC career which started in 2016, Muhammad has fought and defeated some tough opponents such as Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque and Demian Maia among others. He has gradually climbed the ladder in the division, something that has been attributed to good strategies and game plans, plus the spirit of determination. However, it is not only the fighting style of Muhammad that has attracted people’s eyes. He is a man who does not shy away from expressing his thoughts and opinions and for this he is quite a character in the UFC. In his writing, activism for his Palestinian identity, speaking against wrongs in the sport or interacting with fans on social media, Muhammad has always been quite candid. It’s this honesty that perhaps most defines why he wants no part of Conor McGregor. The Allure of a McGregor Fight: Fame and Fortune To most of the fighters, the opportunity to fight Conor McGregor is the biggest challenge that one can get. Nevertheless, McGregor is not only an athlete, he is a business, an international celebrity, and the biggest star in the history of the MMA. A fight with McGregor almost always means the biggest paycheck of a fighter’s career. Besides the money, there is the publicity which is derived from the opportunity to fight one of the most popular celebrities in the world. Whether a fighter wins or loses, a bout with McGregor brings a fighter into the lime light in a way that no other fight in the UFC can. McGregor’s journey to fame is not something new to the public. The Irishman made his entry into the UFC with a lot of attitude and a mouth to match, which made him an instant fan favourite. However, he did not only gain fame with his rants; McGregor also delivered knockouts such as the one that took place against José Aldo where he won the UFC Featherweight Championship in 2015 with a knockout in just 13 seconds. He would go on to become the first fighter in the history of UFC to win titles in two weight classes at the same time, and thus write his name in the annals of the organization. After that, McGregor has gone beyond the realm of MMA and became a global phenomenon. His boxing, his business endeavors, and the controversies have kept him in the news even as he has only fought occasionally in the UFC. It is therefore not a surprise that fighters in search of fame or a career defining victory will be quick to sign up for a McGregor fight. Belal Muhammad’s Brutal Honesty: Why McGregor Doesn’t Interest Him Belal Muhammad, who has been touting a fight with McGregor as the biggest fight of his career, has made it clear that he has no desire to share the cage with the Irishman. Muhammad’s reasons are complex, yet all of them revolve around his role as a fighter and as a man. First of all, Muhammad has always stated that he wants to fight for the UFC title and not for the fame and money. In his career he has always considered himself as one who has faced the toughest fighters in his weight category and has climbed the ladder of the rankings without any shortcuts. According to Muhammad, a fight with McGregor will not take him any closer to his dream of being a UFC champion. McGregor has not been active in the welterweight division and his recent form is not even close to being title worthy. From Muhammad’s point of view, fighting with McGregor would be a regression
