Belal Muhammad isn’t shy about admitting just how tough it was training with Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of his title fight against Leon Edwards. Going into the fight as the ultimate underdog, Belal needed someone to push him Belal but the Dagestani legend and his team went further- they humbled and embarrassed him.
Known for his relentless pressure and unmatched grappling, Khabib made Belal realize there were levels to this game. But instead of feeling defeated, Belal took the experience as a learning opportunity, soaking up as much as he could from “The Eagle” to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, the newly crowned welterweight champion has shared a particular story about the ease with which Khabib dominated him that made him question his own abilities.
“Whenever you go with him, it’s kind of like embarrassing. Not even humbling because he just kills you and it’s to the point where he is on top of me and about to get me into a kimura and he’s ordering coffee to his boy outside the cage. I am looking at myself like bro, I am going to be fighting for the title soon. But it keeps me in that mindset of I still have a lot to learn.”
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Based on how his title fight played out, it is safe to say that training with Khabib Nurmagomedov had a positive impact on Belal. The Palestinian-American fighter not only gave the then champion Edwards a run for his money, he dominated the Brit for five straight rounds, to a point where he even dropped the champion on his head.
And now that he is the champion, Belal wants to remain active and is gearing up for his first title defense later this year.
Abdelaziz lays out roadmap for Belal
Belal is eyeing UFC 310 on December 7 in Las Vegas for his first title defense. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that while he is currently on the mend, the fighter is eager to get back in the Octagon before the year ends.
That said, who he will be fighting, is still up in the air.
No. 3 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is a strong possibility, but former champ Kamaru Usman is also in the mix. Abdelaziz, who represents both those fighters has claimed that it’s up to the UFC to decide.
“It can be Shavkat, Kamaru, whoever… Belal will fight.”
Belal has made it a point to beef with both the fighters, even asking them to fight each other before reaching out and asking for UFC gold. He has especially been harsh with Usman, owing to his own personal experiences waiting in line for a title shot while the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ was busy playing with Colby Covington for months.
