Belal Muhammad has let it be known that he is not ducking Khamzat Chimaev.
Muhammad has been steadily rising up the UFC welterweight ranks. He’s fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Stephen Thompson in the final UFC event of 2021. With the win, Muhammad now holds the number five spot on the official UFC welterweight rankings.
Chimaev is also on the UFC 170-pound rankings and is just outside the top 10. He holds the number 11 spot and UFC President Dana White claims there aren’t too many fighters who are willing to share the Octagon with him.
Belal Muhammad & Khamzat Chimaev Want To Fight
Following his victory over “Wonderboy,” Belal Muhammad took to his Twitter account to call for a showdown with Khamzat Chimaev.
Send me location @danawhite @seanshelby @ufc https://t.co/vkzGFykMJv pic.twitter.com/qNSlrn7zHc
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 20, 2021
Muhammad also retweeted a fan who questioned Dana’s claim about hardly anyone wanting to fight Chimaev.
Never one to hold his tongue, Chimaev answered Muhammad’s call for a bout and he appears to be all in.
Let’s gooooo to kill somebody🤪🤪🤪🤪 pic.twitter.com/be9ZQZY4Am
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) December 21, 2021
Muhammad responded with the following.
https://t.co/Y7pBewjadY pic.twitter.com/9FPwbbgHz4
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) December 21, 2021
Time will tell whether or not UFC officials will actually go through with the matchup. Number eight-ranked welterweight Neil Magny has been calling for a showdown with Chimaev perhaps longer than anyone has. His efforts have only recently been acknowledged by Dana White. If you go by the rankings, Chimaev vs. Magny does make sense.
Despite the hype surrounding Chimaev, White says he won’t be getting carried away. The UFC boss was recently asked by media members if it’s possible that Chimaev will be fast-tracked to a world title bout if he can’t find suitable opponents. White said that won’t be happening.
