UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad is planning to derail the hype train of top contender Khamzat Chimaev.
Belal Muhammad headlined UFC Vegas 51 on April 16 with Vicente Luque. The 33-year-old once again won via unanimous decision. With a 7 win streak, Belal believes it’s about time he gets a big bout on the books.
During an interview with Mirror, Belal Muhammad shared the schedule for his octagon return. He is targeting PPV events in June but also wants to participate at UFC 281 in Abu Dhabi in October..
“sometime in July but I definitely want to get on the Abu Dhabi card in October. ” Belal said.
He also revealed his desired opponent – the new welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev.
“I just don’t think Colby is going to take the Khamzat and if they need a main event for that ABC card, me and Khamzat will be huge.” Belal added.
Previously, UFC president Dana White stated that the winner of Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns will face the number one contender Colby Covington. With Chimaev winning, it is likely that the Chechen wolf will meet Colby in the octagon.
“I think if Khamzat Chimaev wins this weekend, we see him and Colby Covington next. So I have a fight coming up on ABC. In a perfect world, if everything plays out right, I would love to do Khamzat vs. Colby (there) if Khazmat should win on Saturday night.” White said during a talk on the Pat McAfee Show.
It’s highly doubtful UFC would agree to match a huge draw that is Chimaev with Muhammad considering his tendedncy to let bouts go the distance. Way back when Chimaev was still lower in the rankings, Colby was one of the ones who refused to clash with Chimaev due to rankings. It will be interesting to see how Covington dodges this challenge.