B. Muhammad wants to face K. Chimaev (Photo: Montage/SUPER FIGHTS)
One of the main highlights of the last UFC event of the year, last Saturday (18), was due to Belal Muhammad |, which dominated Stephen Thompson In the co-main fight of the event, he won a unanimous decision and gained five positions in the welterweight rankings (up to 77 kg), reaching fifth place. Immediately after the victory, Belal challenged the division champion Kamaru Usman.
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Days after the fight, however, Belal Muhammad | appears to have rethought the situation and started to state that he would like to face the Swedish sensation Khamzat Shimaev, eleventh placed in the division ranking. In an interview with the North American website “MMAJunkie”, Belal explained the reasons behind the new challenge.
“It makes sense for everyone in the division. He has the most hype in the division right now. He has that (Conor) McGregor stardom factor where fans think he's untouchable. The boss thinks he's untouchable. Everyone thinks it's a matter of time before he becomes champion. So, for me, beating him is stealing all the hype, and I think that's worth more than beating anyone ranked in the division. Beating him is probably better than winning Colby covington because of the hype that exists at the moment”, explained Belal.
Belal Muhammad | he added, stating that he believed that a possible victory over Chimaev would be enough to secure the next spot as a challenger for the Kamaru Usman.
“So this game is about momentum, about hype, about who is hot at the moment. He's the hottest name right now. So by beating him, I steal all the shine, all the heat. And analyzing the styles, I think I go very well with it. He has a very similar style to Usman, so I beat him, show that I deserve to be there with a guy like Usman and I'm the next one to fight for the belt.”
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