Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo has high praise for Belal Muhammad.
Muhammad is currently the second-ranked welterweight and is expected to fight Leon Edwards for the title at UFC 300. It will be his first crack at the belt, but second at Edwards as the two fought in 2021 but it was a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke.
Since then, Henry Cejudo believes Belal Muhammad has gotten much better and says he’s the closest fighter to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Henry Cejudo compares Belal Muhammad to Khabib Nurmagomedov
“Belal Muhammad-Leon Edwards is going to be a great, competitive fight. If any fight that is going to very competitive, especially watching them fight for the first time, it’s going to be them. Stylistically, the way that Belal Muhammad, what he did to Gilbert Burns and how he did it to him, he’s only gotten better,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “I will say this, man, the closest person to a guy like Khabib Nurmagomedov, his name is actually Belal Muhammad. They do the same kind of cross steps. They kind of run and shoot. They do the same kind of feints with that lead hand to eventually level change for the takedown.
“I’m going to have to go back and rewatch their fight the first time and see how that actually went. I will say this, they both have gotten better, but if there’s one person that I would say that has evolved more than the other, his name is Belal Muhammad. He’s just gotten so, so freaking much better. He’s a freestyle fighter,” Cejudo added.
“It’s not like he has this crazy, swift technique like Leon or beautiful knees up the middle or front kicks that are extremely dangerous. What he does know how to do is mix his damn fighting. He knows how to level change at the right time. He knows when to bait you to eventually go in for a takedown. He knows when to press and when someone is fatigued and tired,” Cejudo continued.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time as he retired with a 29-0 record. So, for Henry Cejudo to compare Belal Muhammad to him is high praise for the welterweight contender.
