Belal Muhammad slams UFC White House crowd. The upcoming UFC event planned for the White House has already generated plenty of headlines, but not all of them are positive.
Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad recently sparked debate after comparing the expected crowd at the historic event to something out of “The Hunger Games.” Reviewing the lineup on his YouTube channel and speaking about the unique setting and the type of audience expected to attend, Muhammad suggested that the event may not have the usual passionate MMA fanbase in attendance. Instead, he believes the crowd will be made up largely of political figures, VIP guests, and celebrities rather than dedicated fight fans.
According to Muhammad, the atmosphere might resemble the elite spectators seen in the fictional dystopian series The Hunger Games, where wealthy observers watch brutal battles unfold for entertainment. He joked that many of the people attending the event likely won’t be true followers of mixed martial arts and may only react when something dramatic happens in the cage.
“Obviously, people are going to hate, people are going to argue, but they’re fighting at the White House,” Muhammad sasid. “I mean, it’s not open to the public, it’s not open to real fans. When I picture the people that are there watching, I picture, like, The Hunger Games. The first one when Katniss is at the tryout and all the rich, snobby people are at the top not paying attention to her and they’re just talking, and she had to shoot the arrow through the pig. That’s what I feel like it’s going to be. “They’re just going to be not really paying attention to what’s happening in the cage. If they see a little blood, they don’t see knockouts, but they’re not real fans, so who cares? They get what they get.“
Muhammad also downplayed the overall hype surrounding the card, questioning whether the event will truly deliver the “biggest fights” fans were initially promised. The White House show has been heavily promoted as a historic moment for the UFC, but Muhammad hinted that the final lineup may not match the expectations that were originally set.
“My thoughts initially was surprised,” Muhammad said. “Definitely not the card that I thought they hyped up. You had Trump saying, ‘10 title fights.’ What is there, two title fights on there?”
The criticism comes as the UFC prepares for the unprecedented event scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., as part of celebrations connected to the United States’ 250th anniversary. The card is expected to feature several high-profile bouts, including a lightweight championship clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, along with other marquee fights. Numerous American fighters had stated their desire to be on the card, including Colby Covington, who has long touted himself as Trump’s favorite fighter. Muhammad is greatly amused by his exclusion.
“For somebody like Colby, who says that he’s Trump’s BFF and Trump loves him, Trump didn’t ask for him to be on the card,” Muhammad said. “So this dork is going back to RAF and wrestling Dillon Danis, who’s a jiu-jitsu guard puller, so that’s a funny one, funny matchup for RAF to make. Obviously, what’s-his-face tweets a lot of dumb stuff, so there may be buildup with that one, but for Colby to keep talking like he’s the man, it’s kind of funny that he wasn’t on the card.”
Despite his criticism of the event’s crowd, Muhammad remains focused on his own career. The veteran welterweight is currently preparing for a fight against rising contender Gabriel Bonfim at an upcoming UFC Fight Night card While the White House event is expected to be one of the most unique shows in UFC history, Muhammad’s comments have added another layer of intrigue raising questions about whether the spectacle will deliver the same atmosphere as a traditional arena packed with die-hard MMA fans.
