Welterweight fighter Belal Muhammad has been on the rise and has finally made it to the top, where he has a shot at welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Before his rise, Muhammad called out a couple of top opponents, including three-time title challenger and one-time interim champion Colby Covington.
However, Covington turned down the offer and instead opted to face former friend Jorge Masvidal in 2022. The fighter waited out a title shot, but he fell short after his split decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 296. Covington sustained a foot injury that has since healed, and he plans to return to the UFC.
Following his comeback, Covington called out Muhammad, who is preparing as a potential opponent for Edwards. The bout is set to take place at UFC 304. The call-out came as a shock to Muhammad, who has been chasing a fight with Covington. The fighter plans to return the favor after years of being snubbed by the former interim champion,
“That was honestly the funniest thing,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “I’m not even going to bring attention to it because then I’m going to have a back-and-forth with him. This guy’s a joke now. He understands he’s a joke now. So he’s trying to go out there and call out these bigger names now. He’s calling out me, he’s calling out [Charles] Oliveira. Ian Garry’s not worth it. Why? Because Ian Garry’s a bad matchup for you?
He knows that if he loses one more fight, it’s over. How terrible that last fight was. He’s desperate for something. He’s desperate for a win. I think he’s going to sit there and wait. Maybe he’s going to call out a [featherweight] or somebody and hope one of those guys bite on the bullet.”
Muhammad is unimpressed by this call-out and has moved on to become a better opponent and have an opportunity to win the welterweight championship title.
