There’s a reason Belal Muhammad wants all the smoke now that he’s champion. For 2 years before the title fight, fans and fighters alike doubted him despite him winning everything for years. For 2 years he was kept on limbo with promises of a title shot, and none of them materialized. So now that he’s champion, it’s his time to be toxic.
There must be not better feeling for him than talking crap as a champion. Only Muhammad knows what he went through in those two years. To keep yourself motivated for that long despite things not going your way is remarkable.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio on YouTube, he spoke about the struggles he faced and how he overcame them,
“Honestly probably the toughest time in general was maybe these last two years. And it was just the waiting game right. I felt like I did enough, I was stuck in limbo of like when is it going to happen?”
‘Remember the Name’ couldn’t understand what else he had to do to get his name mentioned. He beat 4 of the 5 guys in the top five and even that wasn’t enough.
In the end, he spoke about how both God, his family, and his close friends helped him get through this difficult period. He showed patience and believed in God’s plan for him, and everything worked out just fine for him in the end.
Now, all of that can make anyone sad and bitter but some fighters even believe that it was this waiting period that made him grow hungrier for the title shot.
The wait made him champion: Gilbert Burns
Gilbert Burns has had nothing but good things to say about Belal Muhammad. He had previously stated that Muhammad is the kind of champion that the division needs at the moment.
And he is right. Both Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards spent the last few years fighting and re-fighting undeserving candidates like Colby Covington, thus stalling the division.
In an interview with Damon Martin, Burns spoke about how he was not surprised to see ‘Remember the Name’ beat Leon Edwards, and there’s a big reason for it,
“The UFC made him wait, Leon made him wait. He was fed up from that. He was very hungry. He worked super hard. … People cannot deny him anymore.”
Gilbert Burns wasn’t surprised by Belal Muhammad’s title win over Leeon Edwards:
“The UFC made him wait, Leon made him wait. He was fed up from that. He was very hungry. He worked super hard. … People cannot deny him anymore.”
(: @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/4C41NbSjUZ
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 2, 2024
All the waiting just made him more hungry for the belt. For 2 years he had nothing else on his mind but the thought of beating Leon Edwards and becoming champion.
The entire wait paid off in the end as he dropped Edwards on his head to take his crown! He still has to defend it, but his story so far has been nothing short of inspiring. A true test of his character and his grit.
