Be it in the Octagon or on the streets of London, Belal Muhammad is hoping to meet UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards in some capacity at UFC 286 next March.
Edwards and Muhammad previously collided at UFC Vegas 21 last year. In the event’s headliner, an eye poke from the Englishman rendered “Remember the Name” unable to continue, resulting in a no contest.
Since then, both men have found success. While “Rocky” sits on the throne having unseated Kamaru Usman via knockout this past August at UFC 278, Muhammad has staked his claim for a shot with four consecutive victories, most recently against Sean Brady two months after Edwards’ crowning.
With that in mind, Muhammad has been calling for an opportunity to wrest the gold away from “Rocky” ever since his triumph at UFC 280. Those calls, however, have largely been dismissed.
Nevertheless, the #4-ranked welterweight contender isn’t giving up hope of running it back with Edwards, no matter the setting…
Muhammad Continues To Call Out New Champ Edwards
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Muhammad assessed what could be next for him following a four-fight win streak that includes triumphs over Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque.
After once again suggesting that he should mark the first challenger to Edwards’ reign rather than Usman, Muhammad announced his intention to be present on the likely trilogy’s card, which is expected to be UFC 286 in London next March.
While he called to perhaps face Khamzat Chimaev at the event, with the idea being to set himself up for a possible replacement opportunity should “The Nigerian Nightmare” be forced to withdraw, Muhammad’s planned trip across the pond isn’t solely with the Octagon in mind.
“Remember the Name” is also willing to settle business on the streets.
“The only thing that really makes sense now is me against Leon for the title,” Muhammad said. “Otherwise, you can put me and Chimaev on the same card in London, and I’ll fight him at 179.8 or whatever he came at (at the UFC 279 weigh-ins). We can do that for a number one contender fight.
“I’mma be there (in London for UFC 286). Wherever the title is, that’s where I want to be… I want to be on that card,” Muhammad added. “If anything happens, I can step in, or if me and Leon see each other in the street, we can show out there, too.”
While much of the talk surrounding Edwards’ first defense has involved Jorge Masvidal, who made his desire to challenge “Rocky” in London known, the Brit recently addressed Muhammad’s claim.
After branding the contender a “bum,” Edwards firmly shut down Muhammad’s desire to fight for the gold.
Recent interview with The Schmo bellow: