LAS VEGAS – Belal Muhammad might not be in the UFC welterweight title picture, but he believes that could change this weekend.
Muhammad meets top contender Leon Edwards in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 187. Muhammad (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) took the fight on short notice after Edwards’ original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw due to complications from COVID-19. It was an opportunity Muhammad couldn’t pass up, as he’s angling to one day be UFC champion.
Muhammad, who picked up a decision win over Dhiego Lima last month, thinks a stoppage win over Edwards could earn him a title shot against champ Kamaru Usman.
“This is the fight I want. I want to fight the best guys,” Muhammad told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC Fight Night 187 media day. “All the best guys are sitting on the sidelines, but we’re prize fighters. This is what we get paid to do. So for me, to get an ESPN main event against the No. 3 guy in the world, against a guy Dana White said if he wins he’s going to fight for the title next, boom, I’m going to go out there and steal his shot.”
Ranked 13th in the UFC’s official welterweight standings, Muhammad knows it will be no easy task to get the next shot at UFC gold. That’s why Muhammad plans on having a memorable performance that will catapult him to the top.
“I’m going to put on a performance that people are not going to forget,” Muhammad said. “It’s going to be one of those performances, it’s like what have you done for me lately. That’s what people will remember: Who’s the last guy? So me coming out there, putting on a great fight, a great show, and finishing Leon Edwards, the fans are going to want this fight. They’re going to be like, ‘Masvidal just lost to this guy, he’s not that good. We don’t care about (Masvidal’s) following, this guy just fought. He earned it, so let’s give him the shot.’”
Belal Muhammad plans to steal Leon Edwards’ title shot with finish at UFC Fight Night 187
