The entire MMA fraternity knows who Belal Muhammad is at this point. The 36-year-old made history in the UFC, becoming the first Palestinian-born fighter to win a title after he dominated former king, Leon Edwards in his backyard, Manchester, at the UFC 304. While wrestling is his forte, it is actually Belal’s strong religious roots and discipline that sets him apart from the rest.
During a recent JRE episode, the voice of the UFC Joe Rogan gave the community insights into the champion’s life as a devout Muslim. Joined by popular rapper, Jelly Roll, in the studio Rogan said.
“He’s a great guy, a great guy, he really is and you know the fact that he’s that devout Muslim that he prays five times a day like he doesn’t f**k around like he’s really by the book. He doesn’t even swear.”
Well, as per Rogan’s revelation, Belal is an old-school, by-the-book guy who prays five times a day, doesn’t party or fool around, restricts himself to his training, and lives a strict life. During the conversation, Rogan mentioned how the welterweight champion even does his camp during the holy months of Ramadan, when he is supposed to fast through the day.
Following his UFC 304 triumph over UK’s Leon Edwards, Belal is gearing up for his UFC return, most likely to be in this December. Recently his manager, Ali Abdelaziz dropped hints about the champ’s potential December return.
Abdelaziz hints Belal’s December return
Palestinian-born American, Muhammad was the man of the hour at UFC 304. He kept his word and outmuscled his foe, Edwards to capture his belt in stellar fashion. While many pundits did have Belal in their books, the champ’s striking surprised many. He survived Edwards’ patented sniper leg kick and went on to dominate him for four rounds.
Furthermore, he managed to catch the Brit with a few shots of his own by standing and banging with him showing his versatility as a fighter.
Consequently, the judges gave their majority decision to Belal and thus the welterweight division saw a new champ. While the champ is currently reaping the fruits of his hard-earned success, his manager Abdelaziz revealed that the fighter will return to the octagon this year.
According to MMA Fighting who got the exclusive, Ali said,
“Belal is ready to go in December. No problem. We’re ready to go, but the UFC has to announce. I can’t be announcing a fight on your podcast. Most likely you’re going to see for sure Belal in December. Against who, where, when, this is a Dana White question.
He did not give a name but mentioned the two biggest names in the conversation — Shavkat Rakhmonov & Kamaru — to be the potential favorites. Now, if the UFC features Belal in December, he will have to fight at the glorious T-Mobile Arena at UFC 310 scheduled for December 7.
