The UFC Welterweight division has a strong argument for being the most talent-packed division in the promotion.
For a weight class that seems to possess arguably the preeminent class of fighters such as Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Khamzat Chimaev, and so on and so forth, there rarely are contests being held against the very best the division has to offer.
At least according to a certain 34-year-old, Belal Muhammad. Muhammad is currently a ‘Top five’ contender in the UFC. The American had to earn his stripes through the years, standing tall over anyone who stood in his path.
Muhammad handed former undefeated Welterweight prospect, Sean Brady his first loss when the pair met in the center of the Octagon back at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Belal ‘Remember the name’ Muhammad has since been resiliently campaigning for fights against the top contenders in the weight class. Unfortunately for him, his calls have come to no avail.
As such, the 34-year-old provided his insight on the current state of the 170lbs division in a carefully worded tweet.
Muhammad stated-
“State of the ww division … Leon’s tryin to avoid usman masvidal is avoiding Gilbert Cobys avoiding khamzat Khamzat avoiding his nutritionist Conor is avoiding Usada”
His jabs are aimed at the fact that Jorge Masvidal has apparently turned down a bout with Gilbert Burns. Colby Covington albeit, although rumored to engage against Khamzat Chimaev in a fight with grave implications, there has been no news yet of anything materializing.
Conor McGregor on the other hand hasn’t entered the USADA testing pool for quite some time now. Until he re-enters the testing pool, the self-proclaimed ‘face of the fight game’ will not be granted permission to compete.
The state of the Welterweight division.
Given the fact that the Welterweight weight class conceivably owns the most complete martial artists in the fight business today, it’s a travesty that supporters of mixed martial arts haven’t seen the very best face each other.
Apart from Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman, none of the top five UFC contenders have met each other in the octagon. Heading into the upcoming calendar year, the UFC must mandatorily sort out this mess of a weight class.
Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington are reportedly engaged in talks for a title eliminator in early 2023.
That would see the top of the pyramid be sorted out, taking into consideration that Leon Edwards is slated to defend his throne against Kamaru Usman in an integral rematch, in his home country. The only person in question now is Belal Muhammad.
What’s next for Belal Muhammad?
With Muhammad seemingly being left without an opponent, the question arises what’s next for the 170lb contender?
Muhammad has been eagerly calling for an encounter against the top fighters in the division. Gilbert Burns, who is currently ranked number five in the division, has been advocating for a battle as well.
The ideology that these two would not put on a magnificent display must be swept away.
Perhaps the winner of Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmanov against Muhammad will also make for an intriguing clash. One thing is certain and it’s that Muhammad is not short of options.
