Belal Muhammad is currently on a nine-bout win streak and ranked as the No. 2 welterweight contender. He recently said that he would rather attend a live WWE event than a UFC match. Despite his impressive record, Muhammad doesn’t receive much respect from MMA fans due to his combat style, which focuses on strategic victories over flashy knockouts.
On July 27, Muhammad will get his long-awaited title shot against reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester. This main event clash is highly anticipated, although it hasn’t won over many fans.
Muhammad isn’t concerned about the opinions of MMA fans though. The Chicago native really thinks that most of the people who pay to see live UFC events are simply a bunch of drunk fans who want to watch two guys get beat up and bloodied.
It’s difficult to disagree with Muhammad given how many brawls take place in the stands at UFC events. UFC fans should pay attention to the WWE universe if they want to learn a few things about supporting contenders.
During an interview on the Money Loyalty Respect podcast, Muhammad stated: “Being at those [WWE] events is funner, it’s like the complete opposite of the UFC because those people are so into it no matter what you’re doing.”
“Like you could literally throw a punch or run into the ropes and the fans are going crazy no matter what because they’re real true fans. UFC fans, it’s just like you said, 90% of them are just like dr unks that don’t care about anyone else unless they’re sitting there bleeding and standing in front of each other just banging it out right.”
In preparation for his title match, Muhammad has been training with MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. These training sessions have focused on grappling, a strength that Muhammad plans to utilize against Edwards. Despite being the underdog, Muhammad is not planning to change his combat style just to win over the crowd.
