What’s Next For Belal Muhammad After The Machado Garry Loss?
Belal Muhammad has addressed his loss to Ian Machado Garry in the UFC Qatar co-main event, as we look at what is next.
Belal suffered a unanimous decision defeat, which was his second loss in a row. The result followed his defeat to Jack Della Maddalena back in May, as he lost his UFC Welterweight Title. The Jack loss ended Belal’s undefeated 11-fight win streak. The loss to Garry is also Muhammad’s first back-to-back defeats of his professional career. Gary, who successfully defended all seven of Muhammad’s takedown attempts, called out the new 170-pound champion Islam Makhachev.
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“We couldn’t get it done. Thank you Doha for the memories. Thank you to my team and family and friends that are with me no matter what and thank you to anyone that’s with me ..Alhamdillah for everything I’m blessed to be here …we have work to do. He’s a guy that’s willing to fight anybody. You’ve seen him fight MVP [Michael Page], who’s a tough puzzle. You’ve seen him fight Shavkat [Rakhmonov], you’ve seen him fight Prates. The kid is smart. He understands that you have to fight everybody, and he’s trying to be the best in the world. It pumps you up. It makes you excited because you want to beat a guy that’s willing to fight anybody,” Belal said
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A matchup with a former champion like Kamaru Usman makes sense for both fighters. Usman is also working his way back into title contention, and stylistically, a bout between two would offer a compelling grappling contest. This is a fight that the UFC could easily headline a Fight Night card, and a win for Muhammad instantly re-establishes his name.
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A fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov is another possibility. Rakhmonov, who was previously scheduled to fight Muhammad for the title before an injury, remains undefeated and one of the most feared finishers in the division. While this is a high-risk fight given Rakhmonov’s perfect finishing rate, a victory over the undefeated Kazakhstani fighter would be the fastest way for Muhammad to jump back to the front of the title queue.
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The division has several powerful, younger fighters making noise, such as Michael Morales or Carlos Prates. These opponents would test Muhammad’s ability to use his wrestling and pressure to shut down dangerous strikers. However, if he were to come up short again, it would raise serious questions over his future. Belal could also explore the possibility of moving up a weight class if he backed himself at middleweight.
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