Belal Muhammad is feeling more confident than ever looking forward to his yet-to-be-decided showdown with Shavkat Rakhmonov. All thanks to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Muhammad, who has been working with The Eagle to gain an edge over Rakhmonov, has shared photographs from a training session with Team Khabib. “Blessed to learn from the best 2 weeks till victory inshallah,” he wrote as a caption for the pictures on Instagram.
Last year, Belal spent significant time in Dagestan sharpening his skills for his first title fight against then-champion Leon Edwards. Now, as Team Khabib prepares for this month’s big fights in Las Vegas, Belal wasted no time in joining them again.
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He was initially set to defend his title against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December. But a bone infection forced him to pull out.
Rakhmonov, meanwhile, kept his record intact by defeating Ian Machado Garry at the event. The win also ensured that he remained the #1 contender for the title, and the first man Belal will face upon his return.
Coach defends Belal from unfair criticism
Having defeated the who’s who of the welterweight roster, Belal is currently one of the best 185-pounders in UFC history. However, he also remains one of the most under-appreciated champions.
Despite his dominant 10-fight win streak, which included an impressive title victory, he has often been criticized for being “boring”. His coach, Louis Taylor, has had enough of the negativity.
Taylor argued that while fans might not appreciate Muhammad’s approach, fighters know better. According to him, high-level fighters respect Muhammad’s skills and frequently reach out to learn from him.
“Real fighters understand how hard Belal works and how he dismantles top opponents,” Taylor explained.
The criticism largely stems from Muhammad’s habit of winning by decision. But Taylor believes fans overlook how consistently he outperforms elite competition.
“Belal isn’t flashy, but he’s relentless. He’s always moving forward and applying pressure. Just because he’s not knocking guys out doesn’t mean he’s not dominating,” added Taylor.
Taylor also points out that Muhammad has been the underdog in his last five fights. Yet, he won them all. “The results speak for themselves. He’s consistently beating fan favorites, and that’s hard for people to accept,” said the coach.
Belal has always been methodical in his approach to fighting. He studies every movement of his opponents and then tackles them clinically during the fights. It doesn’t always culminate into a very attractive style of fighting. But it almost always works.
