Belal Muhammad isn’t holding back when it comes to Dricus Du Plessis. The UFC welterweight champion is convinced that the newly crowned 185-pound middleweight champ “sucks”—and he’s not afraid to say it. While some fans think Muhammad is just stirring the pot to land himself a money fight, he recently broke down exactly why he doesn’t rate du Plessis as a legitimate champion.
According to Muhammad, du Plessis hasn’t faced real competition yet and still has a lot to prove at middleweight. But is this just fight promotion, or does Belal actually have a point? Let’s take a look at what he had to say.
While appearing on the ‘Anik & Florian Podcast’, Jon Anik pressed Belal and asked him if he really felt the 185-pound champion sucked and if so, why was that.
To which the welterweight champion agreed, “If I am being honest, I think Dricus s***s. I just beat Leon Edwards who was on this long streak. He had to fight Sean Strickland who s***s, who is coming off one win against Costa in a pathetic fight. Even before that, Adesanya, he was coming off a loss. He (DDP) has not had to fight those tough hungry guys that are good everywhere.”
Belal Muhammad thinks that Dricus Du Plessis “sucks” and that he hasn’t fought a well rounded, hungry fighter yet
Full Episode – https://t.co/NQFFaK4yI4 pic.twitter.com/dWgtgwprWJ
— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) February 21, 2025
Does Belal have any merit in what he is saying? While it is true that du Plessis fought Adesanya coming off a loss, and Sean Strickland who only had one win against Paulo Costa, it does not mean du Plessis has not faced tough competition. The first time DDP secured a win over Strickland, the ‘Tarzan’ was riding a three-fight win streak and he dominated Strickland during their fight at UFC 297.
It is also important to note that du Plessis also secured a win against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 and Whittaker has wins over almost every big name at 185 pounds. Additionally, it is important to note that even though he may have taken on Adesanya on the back of a loss, ‘The Last Style Bender’ will go down as one of the greatest champions to have ever fought in the UFC. This is not something Belal can say for any of the opponents he has faced so far. Therefore, Belal’s criticism of du Plessis is certainly not a fair one.
du Plessis unleashes scorched earth on Belal Muhammad
Du Plessis isn’t letting Belal Muhammad’s trash talk slide. Fresh off his dominant win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312, the middleweight champ has fired back at Muhammad, who recently called him out and claimed the 185-pound division is the “easiest” in the UFC.
During a Barstool Sports podcast, Muhammad didn’t hold back, saying “du Plessis s***s” and that middleweights aren’t real competition. But du Plessis wasn’t having any of it.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he clapped back hard. “Belal Muhammad? I can’t even remember the way he fights. Has he ever finished anyone?” du Plessis asked.
Dricus du Plessis reacts to Belal Muhammad saying he sucks:
“Has he ever finished anyone?… the UFC doesn’t even like Belal Muhammad…
He’s definitely better on Twitter than he is in fights.”
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 18, 2025
He also mocked the idea of Muhammad moving up to challenge him. “I like how he acts like he has a chance to go up to 185. The UFC will never let him. If he wants to do that, he would have to abandon his belt… and there’s no way they give him an immediate title shot.”
Du Plessis even questioned Muhammad’s stature compared to middleweights. “Have you seen the size of him? What is he going to do? I step on his head, and it’s over.”
Clearly, this feud is heating up fast—but will Muhammad actually make the move up? Time will tell.
