Belal Muhammad to serve as UFC 296 backup
UFC 296 is the last card of the year and needs to go off without a hitch. The main event featured Leon Edwards making his second defense of the welterweight title against perennial challenger Colby Covington. That fight needs a backup and for that, Belal Muhammad steps in according to MMA Junkie.
In an interview with the outlet, Muhammad confirmed that he was approached to serve as the backup.
“They just hit me up Friday, asked me if I’m willing to weigh in for next week,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “I think obviously they know Colby and Leon are the two most inactive welterweights in the division. Neither of these guys likes to fight. They’re both good at running. So just to be on the safe side, they called the dude that always steps up whenever needed.”
Belal Muhammad vs. Leon Edwards 2?
Belal Muhammad hasn’t suffered a loss in his last nine fights. The last came in 2019 against Geoff Neal. But during that run, he suffered a no contest when he was gouged in the eye against Leon Edwards. The fight was called off and rightfully so.
Since then, Muhammad had been aiming for a rematch and it looks that he’s not far off. While nobody wants a short notice fight, Muhammad has done whatever it takes to get to where he’s at.
The fact that he’s serving as the backup for this fight means he isn’t far off. If both Edwards and Covington make it to the cage on Saturday night, Muhammad is only one win away from that king deserved title berth.
Take this weird a grain of salt, however. While we’re not calling out the truth of Muhammad here, this author would like to point out that just because Muhammad is the backup doesn’t mean he will get the fight should one or the other fall out.
Just two pay per views ago, Mateusz Gamrot was the official backup for Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira 2. Oliveira was injured and instead of Gamrot stepping in, the UFC made Alexander Volkanovski the replacement fighter.
Not saying Muhammad is wrong. I am saying the UFC doesn’t always work how it should.
