Belal Muhammad isn’t entirely convinced the judges made the right call in his last fight.
Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) lost the UFC welterweight title in his first attempted defense, getting outpointed over 25 minutes by Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in May.
After putting together an impressive 11-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2019, Muhammad finally captured the 170-pound title by dethroning Leon Edwards in July of last year. Having worked tirelessly to reach the top of the division, “Remember the Name” is finding it tough to accept the outcome of his five-round war with “JDM.”
“The JDM fight, it was close,” Muhammad said this week during an interview with Home of Fight. “To me, I thought I still won that fight. I could go back and re-watch it a million times, and no matter what it was, I still see myself winning. Like I said, it just levels you up. Every camp I have is going to level me up. That fight's going to level me up. And at the end of the day, the goal is to be the best fighter to ever do it, complete fighter to ever do it. So I think the next time you guys see me in the cage, they're going to be real surprised from what I gained from that one.”
After taking some time to recharge following UFC 315, Belal Muhammad is ready to return to the Octagon. Fellow welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) recently told Ariel Helwani that he had agreed to face the former champion, but according to Muhammad, no official offer has been made.
“I mean, I've seen the rumors, but I was like, I haven't got the call (to fight Machado Garry),” Muhammad said. “So, I mean, I'm hoping. For me, it's knowing that I'm still number one in the division. I'm still the guy at the top of the mountain. I don't have to make that long climb anymore. So, whoever I fight next, I win that fight, I'll fight for a belt. Whether it's Ian or (Kamaru) Usman (who I want), I think the winner of whatever fight it is makes the most sense. So, those guys should be trying to fight me.”
