With no date currently locked in for his UFC return, Belal Muhammad is happy to show off his athleticism as part of the 24th Annual Celebrity Flag Football Challenge in Las Vegas ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII matchup between the San Franciso 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
For all intents and purposes, Belal Muhammad is the next man in line to challenge reigning welterweight world champion Leon Edwards. ‘Remember the Name’ is ranked No. 2 in the division and sitting on a nine-fight win streak with wins over notables, including Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, Sean Brady, and Gilbert Burns. But despite all that, the promotion has still not announced when he will get his long-deserved shot at UFC gold.
Speaking with The Schmo on the field at Allegiant Stadium, Muhammad decided to take a dig at Leon Edwards’ athleticism — or lack thereof — while getting ready to play some “real football” alongside former NFL Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III.
“I’m waiting for it,” Muhammad replied when asked about when he will finally fight Edwards. “I’m trying to do something. Trying to stay busy. We saw how unathletic Leon was when he played soccer down in Atlanta so I’m gonna show you what a real athlete does. What a real multi-sport athlete does with real football.”
Muhammad also made it abundantly clear that he is the next man in line for a title shot, debunking rumors that Shavkat Rakhmonov could jump the line.
“There’s nobody jumping ahead,” he added. “We got next. I think it’s just the UFC waiting to see what date they want to put us in. They got a lot of pay-per-views that they’ve got to put main events in. They’re just trying to figure it out, but hopefully, we’ll know something soon. We got a big weekend with the pay-per-view next weekend. I think there will be an announcement hopefully soon.”
Belal Muhammad on the Return of Israel Adesanya and Conor McGregor
Edwards vs. Muhammad has been long-rumored to go down at UFC 300 on April 13, though it’s possible that with the landmark event’s dance card already pretty full, their welterweight title tilt could be moved to a later event. If it’s not ‘Rocky’ vs. ‘Remember the Name,’ Muhammad believes a clash between former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and new 185-pound king Dricus Du Plessis is the main event to make for 300.
“If it’s not me and Leon, I think Adesanya vs. Du Plessis makes the most sense,” he said. “That would be a great fight. They had a lot of back-and-forth and Izzy is a superstar in the UFC. I think that fight would make a lot of sense for 300.”
One fighter we know we won’t see on UFC 300 is Conor McGregor. The Irishman’s eagerly-anticipated return to the Octagon has been dragged out for well over a year and chances are, we won’t see ‘Mystic Mac’ back inside the cage until it’s almost 2025. But if you ask Muhammad, we’ve probably already seen the last of McGregor.
“I don’t want to jinx Michael Chandler, but I don’t think Conor’s coming back,” Muhammad said. “Dana’s says in the fall, but you just never know with that guy. His movie (Road House) looks pretty good, so I’ll give him that. If the movie does well and he gets other job opportunities… Movie roles, but we’ll see.” \
Watch the full interview below:
