Tag: Belal Muhammad

Analyzing UFC welterweight shake up: Rakhmonov vs. Machado Garry, Covington vs. Buckley

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry and Colby Covington vs. Joaquin Buckley? We discuss these UFC matchups on “Spinning Back Clique.”

A lot is going on in the UFC’s welterweight division.

With UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] withdrawing from his first title defense at UFC 310 due to injury, the promotion was forced to make some big changes.

These changes were two important bookings: [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] was pulled from his fight against [autotag] Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] on Dec. 14, and matched up with [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag], who was supposed to challenge Muhammad. With Machado Garry out, Buckley was given former title challenger [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] for the Dec. 14 Fight Night in Tampa, Fla.

Were these the matchups the UFC welterweight division needed? Which fighters will come out victorious?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous George discuss the pair of key welterweight bouts going down next month.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

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Video: Should interim welterweight title be implemented with Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310?

Should UFC implement an interim title following Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

Bad news: Welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is out of UFC 310, and that leaves the division in a bit of a quandary. 

Muhammad suffered a nasty toe infection that left him no choice but to pull out of his first UFC title defense, which was scheduled to be against undefeated contender [autotag]Shavkat Rahkmono[/autotag] in the UFC 310 main event on Dec. 7. Muhammad’s withdrawal puts the UFC in a tricky situation as it traditionally bolsters its final pay-per-view of the year.

So, who could slide in as a replacement for UFC 310? Should the UFC consider implementing an interim welterweight title? If so, who should fight for it?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss the latest surrounding Muhammad’s injury and how it can impact UFC 310 and the landscape of the welterweight division.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/G_MvMlbjAX0

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310, Max Holloway’s move

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 246 went down Saturday in Canada and left us with two key results at men’s and women’s flyweight. In the main event, former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] successfully returned to action after taking a break from the sport by dominating [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] in a unanimous decision win. Also, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] outpointed [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] in a hard-fought decision to cement herself as a top title contender. What happens next? We discuss.
  • Bad news. UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] suffered a foot injury and was forced out of his title bout against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 310. This leaves a big hole to fill since the bout was scheduled to headline the final pay-per-view of the year. Should the UFC implement an interim title? If so, who should fight for it? We react to Muhammad’s injury and how it impacts both UFC 310 and the welterweight division.  
  • A lot of news went down this past week, including fight bookings and retirements. Former UFC champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] announced her retirement from the sport; the UFC booked a key welterweight bout between [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] for December; and featherweight all-time great [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] revealed he is moving back up to lightweight. We analyze those headlines and more.
  • We close out the show by previewing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 247 event in Las Vegas. We break down the welterweight bout between [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] headlining the card, along with other standout bouts.

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Injured Belal Muhammad responds to Shavkat Rakhmonov’s call for interim title: ‘It’s six weeks, not six months I’m off’

UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad doesn’t see the need for an interim title fight while he’s out, but isn’t completely against the idea.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] disagrees with Shavkat Rakhmonov’s idea for an interim title fight while sidelined with an injury, but he can also see an upside.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was set to defend his recently acquired title for the first time in the UFC 310 main event against undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, a toe infection forced the champ out of the Dec. 7 date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

When the issue arose, Muhammad hoped to avoid a delay from action, but he says a doctor told him the infection was aggressive and needed immediate surgery. According to Muhammad, the doctor told him he caught the problem at the right time and, as a result, would be able to recover quickly.

While Muhammad is on the sideline, the UFC still needs to fill the void of a main event for UFC 310. Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) wants an interim title fight against another worthy challenger.

“I could see them trying to do something with Shavkat, but he’s calling for an interim title fight,” Muhammad said on “Remember the Show.” “It’s like, interim title fight? Bro, it’s six weeks, not six months that I’m off. But even for myself, if they wanted to do that just to make it a main event, I mean, I don’t really care about it if they want to make an interim title fight regardless, because they know who has the real belt. So for me, I know who my next opponent is going to be.”

While Muhammad can see the upside to having an interim title fight in his absence, he’s unsure if an opponent is available that makes sense. If Muhammad’s timeline for his return is accurate, he will be ready for a fight early in 2025, which would be Rakhmonov’s fight if he would be willing to wait a little longer.

Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley threw their names in the hat for the potential replacement fight. However, they have been booked to face each other in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 14.

Former champ Kamaru Usman is available, but he and Rakhmonov share the same training room. Jack Della Maddalena is also hovering around the top of the division, but rumors are that he’s not healthy.

From a preparation standpoint, Muhammad can understand why Rakhmonov would want to keep the same date, even if he’s torn on the idea of an interim title fight.

“It really doesn’t (make sense), but it’s one of those where it’s like – when you’re in the middle of camp, it’s hard, because we were like six weeks left,” Muhammad said. “So I can understand him, he’s like, ‘Bro, I want to fight.’ That’s the only part: him and Usman are like training partners, and you guys been in the gym with each other right now. Were you guys looking at each other? Watching each other? It’s just weird.”

The promotion could also go outside the division for a main event switch up at UFC 310. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev exchanged phone emojis on social media, essentially asking the UFC to make the fight happen.

“I wonder who they would do,” Muhammad said. “If it’s not Pereira and Ankalaev, I don’t see it being (Dricus) Du Plessis, I don’t see it being, I mean, (Zhang) Weili is always up there, but I don’t see them trying to throw that one in the mix. We’ll see what Hunter (Campbell) and Dana (White) do, right? They’re the best.”

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Champ Belal Muhammad injured, out of UFC 310 title fight; Shavkhat Rakhmonov reacts

UFC 310 has taken a major hit after Belal Muhammad was forced to withdraw because of a “bone infection” in his foot.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

UFC 310 has taken a major hit as welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is out of his Dec. 7 title fight against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Muhammad announced the news Thursday, posting a video of himself on Instagram in which he’s laying in a hospital bed. Muhammad said he “caught a bone infection” in his foot and also included photos. He can’t perform physical activity for the next six weeks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBys-ptRw6w/?img_index=6

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) vs. Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was slated to headline UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+). Benny P on X was first to report Muhammad was out before the champ’s announcement.

It’s unclear if Rakhmonov will stay on the card, but the top contender posted on X that he’s open to fighting anyone for an interim title.

Muhammad was looking to make a relatively quick turnaround after capturing the welterweight title with an impressive win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. Muhammad is unbeaten in his past 11 fights.

Undefeated in his pro MMA career, Rakhmonov boasts a 100 percent finish rate. He most recently submitted former title challenger Stephen Thompson in the second round at UFC 296 in December.

With the change, the current UFC 310 lineup includes:

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura – for flyweight title
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. TBA
  • Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
  • Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
  • Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
  • Martin Buday vs. Rizvan Kuniev
  • Bryan Battle vs. Randy Brown
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Tallison Teixeira

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Photos: See Belal Muhammad’s nasty foot injury that forced UFC 310 withdrawal

Ooh, yeah, Belal Muhammad probably made the right call pulling out of his UFC 310 title fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov.

If you were questioning [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag]’s withdrawal from UFC 310, think again.

The UFC welterweight champion shared graphic photos of the foot infection that forced him out of his title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of the final UFC pay-per-view of the year. Below, you can see the infection in Muhammad’s left foot.

UFC 310 is scheduled to go down Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. The event was supposed to mark the first title defense for Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who took the welterweight belt from Leon Edwards with an impressive win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July.

This would’ve marked the first UFC championship fight for Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who’s undefeated and riding a five-fight winning streak in the UFC.

There hasn’t been an official word on whether Rakhmonov will remain on the card or if the bout will be rebooked for a later date.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

UFC champ Belal Muhammad wants to clear out welterweight contenders before ‘talking about the bums at 185’

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad may move to middleweight one day, but first he wants to clean out the rising welterweights.

[autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] isn’t opposed to chasing a second UFC title, but wants to ensure there’s no work left in his division first.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) became the new UFC welterweight champion in July by defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He already has his first title defense lined up against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December.

It’s a fast turnaround for a new champion. If Muhammad is able to get past the “boogeyman” of the division in Rakhmonov and keep up a similar pace, he would run out of worthy title challengers pretty quickly. But the champ isn’t exactly planning on a speed run, and knows the names in wait will have to challenge one another to be the next man up.

“In general, with any fighter, you have to cement yourself as the leader in the division and the guy that there’s nobody that can beat,” Muhammad said. “I think after Shavkat, you’ve got a couple of guys that are there. You got Ian Garry, you got JDM (Jack Della Maddalena) and you got Kamaru Usman. But some of those guys are going to have to fight each other now.

“There’s no just waiting on the sidelines saying, ‘I’m next. I got next, I earned it.’ I don’t think nobody’s really earned that next spot left, so there’s going to be guys that are going to be taking losses. The cream has to rise to the top.”

Becoming a UFC champion is one thing. It’s a career-long goal that Muhammad successfully achieved. But becoming a champ-champ is a whole different game that Muhammad doesn’t want to think about until he’s done clearing out welterweight challengers.

However, that time may be closer than many realize, considering Muhammad had to run the gauntlet before getting his first title shot against Edwards earlier this year.

“Maybe one or two more fights, I think then I could start talking about middleweight and could start talking about double champ status,” Muhammad said. “When you look at the guys I’ve fought – what do I have? Six or seven wins in the top 10, top 15 of my division right now, so I’ve already fought all these guys even before getting to the title.

“So now that I’m at the champion status, it’s like, well OK, now I probably only got a couple more left before I can start talking about the bums at 185.”

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UFC champ Belal Muhammad responds to Conor McGregor’s recent deleted tweet: ‘He needs to hit rehab’

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad fired back at Conor McGregor after a scathing recently deleted tweet.

UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] has dismissed [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s recent social media attack.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) recently acquired the UFC’s welterweight crown by dominating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) fired verbal shots at Muhammad, criticizing his fighting style and drawing power, while vowing to become a three-division champion.

“I’d love to crush my left hook into Belal’s temple and take down the triple crown,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I’d do it easily. And fast!

“To think this bum is now a UFC champion with zero knockdowns on his resume whatsoever is so bad. The UFC’s most abysmal zero revenue generating fighter in modern history.”

McGregor, who won titles in the UFC’s featherweight and lightweight divisions, has three times at 170 pounds in the UFC. Not only does Muhammad not see a path for a potential showdown in the octagon, he believes McGregor’s fighting career is over.

“I don’t think he fights again, ever,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “I think that he’s in that part of his life now where he’s starting to realize people are starting to forget about him. He loves that attention so much, so when he sees something happening in the UFC that’s getting headlines, he wants to take that attention.

“I get a fight announced and he wants to act like, ‘Oh, I’ll fight this guy,’ and he knows people are going to talk about it and speak about it. Even after big fights – watch after the Max Holloway fight against Ilia Topuria, he’s going to come up with a stupid speech.”

Muhammad is set for his first title defense less than five months after winning the title. He’ll take on undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

McGregor hasn’t competed since breaking his lower leg in July 2021 at UFC 264 in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. He has long been linked to a fight against Michael Chandler, but the fight continued to get pushed back further to the point Chandler decided to move on.

Recently, McGregor has appeared at BKFC events, the bareknuckle boxing promotion of which he is now a part-owner. In interviews, the Irishman claims he’s eager to return to action, but he and the UFC cannot seem to get on the same page.

McGregor has found a new potential opponent in Dan Hooker, who recently agreed to fight while at a BKFC event.

Muhammad thinks it’s all a part of McGregor’s plan to stay on people’s minds.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Muhammad said. “He knows he’s going to get people to speak about him and say, ‘Oh, maybe McGregor will come back in 2027. Maybe McGregor will come back in 2028.

“I think he needs to hit rehab first. Once he gets clear and clean, then he can get back in the gym and get back to working out.”

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Belal Muhammad: UFC 310 opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t faced someone who ‘won’t back down, won’t fold’

UFC champ Belal Muhammad believes Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t been tested to the degree he’ll experience when they meet at UFC 310.

You can say Shavkat Rakhmonov has a certain “aura” or call him the “boogeyman” of the division – [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is ready to shut all that down.

At UFC 310, Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) puts his recently acquired 170-pound title on the line against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. It’s a quick turnaround, as Muhammad won the belt at UFC 304 in July by soundly winning a unanimous decision over Leon Edwards.

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is viewed as one of the scariest fighters in the division, if not the entirety of the sport. He’s fearless and aggressive, and has never needed the judges to determine the winner of a fight. However, Muhammad believes Rakhmonov hasn’t been in there with someone like him, who can force him into difficult situations.

“He’s mentally tough, he’s mentally strong, and if it comes down to grit for grit, he’s going to beat a lot of these guys based off of his toughness and his will to win,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “Now you’re going against someone with a stronger will. Now you’re going against somebody that’s  tougher. Now you’re going against somebody that won’t back down, won’t fold.

“So now, it’s how he’s going to react now, and I don’t think that he’s really had to face that type of adversity in the UFC yet. He really hasn’t. He’s always been in the lead. Now he’s going to be falling behind. Now you’re going to be getting to later rounds. Now when it starts getting tougher and you can’t breathe, and you’re getting tired and this is not working, and that’s not working, how do you make your adjustments?”

The champ says he’s been through those trials and tribulations under the bright lights already, so he’s prepared for those moments. To his point, Rakhmonov has not been scheduled for a five-round fight in the UFC. In fact, he’s only reached Round 3 once, in a Fight of the Night against Geoff Neal last March.

Muhammad doesn’t like the assumption that just because Rakhmonov hasn’t been into deep waters, he can’t perform well.

“I just think that he doesn’t get tired, this, this and this – he hasn’t been in front of me,” Muhammad said. “No matter who you are, who’s in front of me, you’re going to get tired fighting me. I don’t care what your path was like, what your cardio regiment is, I’m a different fighter. I’m a different pace than anybody you’ve ever seen.”

Muhammad believes he will present new challenges for his undefeated opponent. He’s confident his approach and his experience as a perennial underdog will carry him to victory against another undefeated opponent that some see as unbeatable.

Just like Sean Brady, who was undefeated before Muhammad got a hold of him in 2022, the champ sees a path to putting a blemish on another pristine record.

“We see weaknesses in these guys,” Muhammad said. “He may have a zero next to his name, but we see holes. That’s what we see in those zeros, those are the holes that we see, and we’re going to walk through those holes.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Video: Reacting to Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov, Pantoja vs. Asakura title-fight bookings at UFC 310

What to make of the recent UFC 310 title-fight bookings? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

The final UFC pay-per-view of the year officially has its main and co-main events.

Last week, UFC CEO Dana White announced a pair of title fights that will headline the Dec. 7 event in Las Vegas as [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] will get top billing for UFC 310.

Were these the right fights to make in each respective division? Who will emerge as champions that night? How do we feel about Asakura getting a title shot in his promotional debut?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss the welterweight and flyweight championship fights booked for UFC 310, along with how they set up each division.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/hQw_JxC0qM8

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