UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has made it clear that a fight against lightweight king Islam Makhachev is not an option, citing their close relationship and shared training history.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) has trained extensively with Makhachev and Team Khabib Nurmagomedov, forging a bond that he says is too strong to break for competition.
Even Nurmagomedov himself admitted that watching the two fight would be too difficult for him.
“I would never fight Islam because that’s different for me and him,” Muhammad told Barstool Sports Chicago. “We’ve trained together, and when you’re sweating with somebody, and you’re bleeding with somebody, it’s just a different relationship. It wouldn’t be about the money for me or for him, I would assume.”
Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), who holds the record for most lightweight title defenses, has openly stated his ambition of becoming a two-division UFC champion before retiring.
That could mean a move up to welterweight, but Muhammad says he is willing to vacate the division and move to middleweight rather than stand in his friend’s way.
“So for me, I would rather go up to 185 pounds and let him just take 170 if that is the case,” Muhammad said.
“Since I’ve already had to fight my way up to 170, and I’ve beaten five of the top 10 guys, I’m two fights away from being able to challenge at 185 and saying, ‘Yeah, I want to be double champ.’”
The transition to middleweight wouldn’t be a stretch for Muhammad, who says his walk-around weight hovers around 190 pounds. He believes he matches up well against the division’s top fighters and sees a clear path to gold.
“185 would be no problem,” Muhammad added. “I train with bigger guys. I’ve felt their strength, and 185 is probably the easiest weight class (for opponents) besides Khamzat (Chimaev).”
“When you look at that (UFC 312) main event, you’re like ‘Bro, (Sean) Strickland and (Dricus) Du Plessis suck,” he added.
With Makhachev’s future move to welterweight a real possibility, Muhammad appears ready to clear the way for his teammate while pursuing his own shot at becoming a UFC dual champion.
