Belal Muhammad
Wants to fight: [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]
The callout: “You never know with these rankings, man. I just want to be able to fight these ranked guys. These ranked guys are so afraid to fight. Santiago Ponzinibbio, you’ve been out for like 25 years. I don’t know how you’re still in the rankings. Hit my line, let’s go. You’re calling out dos Anjos. Dos Anjos lost five of his last six. He’s a ’55er. Come get a 70er.”
The reality: The time has certainly come for [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] to get a crack at Top 15 opposition, but his callout of Ponzinibbio, who has slipped out of the UFC’s 170-pound Top 15 due to inactivity, seems like a well-pitched request.
Victory for Muhammad over Ponzinibbio, who two years ago was considered a fringe contender at 170 pounds, should catapult “Remember The Name” into a bigger fight later this year, and would also provide the Argentine athlete with a solid test upon his return to action in his first fight since November 2018.
There’s a chance Muhammad might be offered someone in the 10-15 range of the rankings list, with the likes of Neil Magny and Vicente Luque also potential options. But the Ponzinibbio fight certainly seems like an ideal springboard for both men to push their way into the upper echelon at 170 pounds later this year.
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