You don’t have to like Belal Muhammad, but he is the clear number one contender
After defeating Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event on Saturday night, welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-3) was already dismissing Belal Muhammad (23-3) as the next contender to his title.
“Nah, there are definitely other options,” Edwards said at the UFC 296 post-fight press conference. “I don’t feel like Belal should be next. I’ve done it before; I’ve won like 10 fights and didn’t get a title shot. So, what makes him different or more privileged?
“So, Colby’s already skipped the line already, let’s see who’s next,” Edwards continued. “But, like I said, this is the Rocky Era — it’s my era now and I’ll keep reigning, whoever’s next, it doesn’t matter, they’re all similar styles anyways. All boxers and wrestlers, it’s what I’ve built my career on. So, whoever comes next, it’s whatever, you know?”
While the champion is entitled to his own opinion, his opinion kind of stinks in this case.
Muhammad may not be the most exciting fighter to watch, but he has earned his dues.
“Remember the Name” Muhammad is on a five-fight win-streak since his 2021 no-contest against Edwards. That fight, before Edwards was champion, was declared a no-contest after an eye poke that brought a halt to the action.
Before that, Muhammad racked off another four wins. His last loss was in January 2019. Since then, he has gone 9-0-1, defeating the likes of three former title contenders in Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson, and Demian Maia.
Right now, according to the UFC rankings, Muhammad is the number two ranked welterweight behind former champion Kamaru Usman. Edwards has already defeated Usman twice and has already fought every other fighter in the top 10 except for Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry.
If Muhammad does not deserve the opportunity, then why did he weigh in as an alternate for this past weekend’s title fight? Had either Edwards or Covington not been able to compete, Muhammad would have been given the chance and nobody would have questioned it all.
Like it or not, it’s time.
