Latest news with #BelalMuhammad
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mailbag: In UFC's crowded welterweight division, what's the next move for every contender?
What should the UFC do about all these welterweight contenders thinking they deserve the next title shot? Would we be better off with finish bonuses instead of win bonuses? And what can Khalil Rountree Jr.'s customized fight shorts tell us about the state of MMA fashions and so forth? All hat and much more in this week's mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @benfowlkesMMA or @ @SLefkaditis: Welterweight. Who against who next? Advertisement First of all, can we all agree that Kamaru Usman is living in some alternate reality with all his title shot talk? I get it, that was a big win for him on Saturday. He needed it and he got it. But the reason he needed it is because he was 0-3 coming into the fight and his last win came in 2021. You don't win one fight and jump immediately to the front of the line. I know his argument is that a 170-pound title fight between the former pound-for-pound best (himself) and the current pound-for-pound best (Islam Makhachev) would be a guaranteed blockbuster. My counter to that is: Would it though? Usman wasn't a massive draw even when he was champ. Makhachev's biggest potential fight is still Ilia Topuria at lightweight. Usman still has work to do to get back in the conversation at welterweight, which is why he should stop playing and accept Belal Muhammad's offer to fight next. As for what should happen with the title, I say Shavkat Rakhmonov should get the winner of Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena. He earned it. That title shot that "JDM" got out of nowhere was supposed to be Rakhmonov's. So as soon as he's healthy, let's find out if he's really as inevitable as he seems at 170 pounds. That leaves Sean Brady and Ian Machado Garry without dance partners, so put them in there with each other and let's see who's next in line. Advertisement Whatever happens, one rule I'd like us to agree on moving forward is this: The next person to call out Colby Covington automatically falls three spots in the rankings. This simply must stop, you guys. @Mike_Fierce_: Light Heavyweight was once considered the UFC's marquee division with some of the biggest names and greatest fights in the history of the sport. Now ruled by a lackluster champion in Ankalaev, are those days of walking amongst giants now long gone…? First of all, let's tap the brakes on phrases like 'ruled by' when referring to the guy who won the UFC light heavyweight title in March and has yet to defend it. Let's also not forget that for the past year and change the champ was Alex Pereira, who's still one of the vanishingly few actual stars on the UFC roster. We all had fun with that, right? Some of the best and most popular fighters in the short history of this sport have come out of the 205-pound class, from Jon Jones to Chuck Liddell to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. Sometimes the division is better than others, but I still think it has the potential to be the UFC's glamour division. Advertisement The fighters who populate the division are big enough to be scary tough guys to the general public, but not necessarily big enough that all the good ones already got scooped up by the NFL. And who knows, maybe Magomed Ankalaev will turn out to be more fun as a champion than we think. Though I will admit, the fact he's basically disappeared from view and from the conversation entirely since winning the title doesn't make me terribly hopeful just now. @BTM99_MMA: Should the fight/win bonus structure be replaced with a generous fight/finish bonus? The last UFC for example was very poor - x2 DQ chasers several bouts resembled sparring sessions I don't hate that idea at all. I think the show/win pay structure sucks for a few different reasons, not the least of which is that there are so many ways for a fighter to put on a great performance and still end up with only half their money. Incentivizing wins above all else can result in some boring fights — and especially some boring final rounds, once a fighter knows he's up on the cards and just has to coast home. Incentivizing finishes seems like it would lead to more exciting fights, and you still end up paying the winner anyway. But as long as we're looking at antiquated pay structures, how about those UFC 'performance' bonuses? It used to be Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night. Then I'm guessing some legal egghead saw the NFL's concussion lawsuits and figured that explicitly incentivizing knockouts could come back to bite the UFC in the butt, so we changed the names but kept the same basic concept. Advertisement Thing is, those bonuses weren't always worth $50,000. For instance, UFC 106 in 2009? Bonuses were $70,000 each. For UFC 142 in 2012 they were $65,000. That was not only a different time for the value of the U.S. dollar (that $70,000 bonus in 2009 is equivalent to about $106,000 today), but also a very different time for the UFC. This promotion makes so much more money now than it did back then. Like, a boatload more. So tell me why the bonus amounts settled at $50,000 and then never budged, except for rare special occasions like UFC 300? How have fighters just accepted that their bonus-worthy finishes are basically worth less than half what Josh Koscheck got for choking out Anthony Johnson at the Mandalay Bay in 2009? Now that's a question they ought to be asking themselves. @JedKMeshew: What if, instead of some fighters getting custom shorts occasionally, every fighter got to make their own custom shorts? Do you think that would be cool? I do, Jed. I think it would be very cool. Also sometimes dumb and weird, but at least interesting. Advertisement That's why I couldn't understand the contingent of fans who, upon seeing Khalil Rountree Jr.'s shorts for Saturday's main event, got hung up on the question of whether or not Rountree was a big enough deal in the UFC to merit his own special shorts. They should all get their own individual shorts! It's an individual sport, and helping people stand out from the crowd should be part of a promoter's goal! Remember back before any of these outfitting deals, when fighters could wear whatever shorts they wanted within the limits of good taste? (Shouts out to Dennis Hallman.) Tito Ortiz had the flame shorts. Liddell had his whole 'Iceman' motif. People got to show some personality. We need more and not less of that. Plus, as Rountree's shorts showed us, some of these fighters actually have some good ideas. @NeedXtoseePosts: How bad is it I sorta of want Charles Oliveira to fall out of the Ilia Topuria fight with the news Arman Tsarukyan is the back up I do feel very bad about it FWIW For my money, Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira has the makings of a more exciting fight. You could argue that Topuria vs. Arman Tsarukyan would be the more meaningful fight at lightweight right now, and I wouldn't disagree. But I also think people are forgetting that 'Do Bronx' can still do the damn thing and might spoil everyone's party at UFC 317. @CrooklynMMA: If you had to go to a club in a UFC fight kit, whose would you choose? Advertisement I would go with a vintage "Giblert" Melendez Reebok kit. Lets people know you're not some newb casual. Shows you have a sense of humor. Plus it's got to be worth something by now, the same way those baseball cards with minor defects are. @Bengonzz01: Will Payton Talbot be the next edmen shabazyan/sage Northcutt considering how the ufc just booked him coming off a loss You're over here acting like Edmen Shahbazyan didn't just win a fight on Saturday. But fine, I see your point. The UFC can sometimes get excited about a young prospect one month only to feed him to the wolves the next. But what's happening with Payton Talbott seems more like the UFC matching up a couple young fighters with similar experience and letting them decide for themselves who's for real. Felipe Lima is newer to the UFC, but has a few more fights and only one loss, like Talbott. Lima is 27, while Talbott is 26. I know it's not a setup fight to help Talbott stack easy wins, but is that what we want out of the UFC? I'm not so sure. When you make fights with one specific outcome in mind, eventually you get disappointed. @ProFightsInfo: What would you think if all the non-UFC MMA companies got together and announced that once a year they will do a joint show that is branded like the World Cup? PFL, ONE, RIZIN, KSW and Cage Warriors (maybe not them w/ the UFC connections). Would fans be excited? Would it succeed? Advertisement I think it would be super exciting and you'd have a good chance of getting every promoter on board except the UFC. It has more to lose than to gain from that, and company execs know it. Would something like this help build the sport? Absolutely. But the UFC is not in the building phase right now. It is in the cash-out phase. One of the reasons it keeps hundreds of fighters under contract is so those other promoters have a harder time getting anything interesting going. The UFC isn't going to ruin that plan by flinging open the door just because fans would love it.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Kamaru Usman stuns audience with a brutal take on former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad ahead of the former's UFC Atlanta showdown
Belal Muhammad (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) and Kamaru Usman (Photo by Per Haljestam-Imagn Images) Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is in need of a blatant win after his last three debacles against welterweight contender Leon Edwards and middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev. While the fighter is returning to the division after a failed attempt against a middleweight fighter, Usman, in a recent press meet ahead of his UFC Atlanta bout against Joaquin Buckley, shockingly turned down a fight against one of the top contenders of the division and former champion , Belal Muhammad . Kamaru Usman denies possibility of facing Belal Muhammad anytime soon, explains speculated beef with the fighter Belal Muhammad, the former welterweight champion, recently lost his belt to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, which resulted in Islam Makhachev's move up to the division, with the intention of eyeing a second championship belt. Belal, who faced defeat for the first time in the last six years, seems to be getting back to work, with his recent training clips going viral. Even though there has been no official confirmation about his next opponent, sources within the promotion have confirmed Shavkat Rakhmonov to be his next potential opponent. Amid all the speculation, Kamaru Usman, who is preparing for a comeback against Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta on June 14, 2025, turned heads with his unapologetic comment on Belal at a recent press meet. Usman and Belal aren't exactly friends owing to their on-set brawl while filming an episode of Pound-4-Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo. The bitterness was reflected in the recent statement made by Usman. 'When Belal Muhammad was champion, there was a reason to fight him. He had a title.' The fighter stated, 'Let's be honest here. We are not the best of friends. But I don't wish him any bad.' Usman reflected on the relationship shared between the two fighters, while analysing the kind of profit he would make from a bout between the two, 'But what do you have to offer me? You are gonna give me a side deal? You gonna throw me a little extra cash on the side? If you are willing to do that, maybe. But who knows?' Usman, however, negated the existence of any bad blood between the two fighters, citing the example of Colby Covington, with whom the Nigerian Nightmare shared a full-on rivalry both inside and outside the Octagon. Belal becoming the champion and his voice being a little louder than usual was more on the lines of being annoying for Usman, and not a reason for an actual rivalry between the two. The Nigerian fighter, towards the end of his statement, however, agreed that a scenario where both fighters are eyeing the belt is an ideal situation for the fighters to face each other. Also read: 'Chill for few weeks' - Sean O'Malley reveals his plans for Octagon return after a second defeat in his year-long rivalry against Merab Dvalishvili Kamaru Usman is now preparing for his upcoming fight against Joaquin Buckley to reestablish himself within the division. There has been no response from Belal on this comment yet.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for May: Jack Della Maddalena takes Belal Muhammad's belt
MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for May: Jack Della Maddalena takes Belal Muhammad's belt With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for May. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice. Nominee: Daniel Santos def. Jeong Yeong Lee at UFC 315 Daniel Santos and Jeong Yeong Lee produced three solid rounds of action in the featherweight division, busting each other's faces up over the course of 15 minutes as the contest flowed on both the feet and the ground. After three rounds, Santos (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) was awarded the unanimous decision win over Lee (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) with 30-27 scorecards across the board, which was a credit to Lee's toughness. Nominee: Aiemann Zahabi def. Jose Aldo at UFC 315 Aiemann Zahabi went to war with Jose Aldo in what turned out to be the UFC Hall of Famer's final fight before retirement. After a strong start by the former UFC champion, Zahabi (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) survived a scare and turned the tables on Aldo (32-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) to win a competitive unanimous decision, extending his winning streak to six fights and marking the end of Aldo's legendary career. Nominee: Melquizael Costa def. Julian Erosa at UFC Fight Night 256 Melquizael Costa and Julian Erosa were immediately transported to a hospital after their hard-fought battle in the featherweight division. Costa (24-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Erosa (31-12 MMA, 9-8 UFC) put on a gruelling three-round scrap, and as a result, both men received an additional $50,000 for Fight of the Night honors. In the end, Costa was awarded the unanimous decision victory after enduring a late swarm from Erosa. Nominee: Alice Ardelean def. Rayanne dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 68 Alice Ardelean got her first UFC win when she outworked the favored Rayanne dos Santos to get her hand raised and snap of eight-month skid women getting Fight of the Night honors. Ardelean (10-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) pulled off a unanimous decision over dos Santos (14-9 MMA, 0-3 UFC) in the curtain jerker on the prelim in the strawweight division. Dos Santos was more than a 2-1 favorite in the fight, but Ardelean pulled off the upset. The winner: Jack Della Maddalena def. Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 The UFC's welterweight division has a new king, and his name is Jack Della Maddalena. Incoming champion Belal Muhammad entered the fight seeking his first title defense, but would run into a stiff challenge in the form of a highly confident Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC). The welterweight title fight served as the main event of UFC 315 at Bell Centre in Montreal. After the final horn sounded, Della Maddalena was declared the new champion unanimously with 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 scores over Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC). Della Maddalena came forward early, putting pressure on the champ as he landed combinations while the crowd chanted in his favor. After studying his opponent's movements, Muhammad began to open up his offense. Della Maddalena appeared very comfortable on his feet, and grew in confidence after stopping Muhammad's first takedown attempt. Striking exchanges unfolded early in Round 2, with both fighters connecting with clean offerings. Della Maddalena found a home for a hard right hand that turned Muhammad's head, but the champ ate it and continued to come forward. Della Maddalena stifled another takedown attempt, but Muhammad landed nicely on the exit. Still feeling good, Della Maddalena had some fun with a few spinning strikes in the closing seconds of the round. A beautiful combination from Della Maddalena started Round 3. As the round progressed, Muhammad chased the challenger all over the octagon, but was met with quick jabs and the occasional two-punch combo. It wasn't all one-way traffic, but Muhammad was unable to land anything of significance to change the tone of the fight. In the fourth round, Muhammad dedicated himself to more takedown attempts. The champ pushed forward with urgency, looking to get the fight to the ground. This caused a few heated exchanges, but it was clearly Muhammad's best round, even though he was on the receiving end of a share of clean strikes. With just five minutes to go and the fight on Della Maddalena's side, Muhammad turned up the pressure more than before. This created some heated moments of hard striking exchanges, where it seemed like the fight could end at any moment. Muhammad was finally able to complete a takedown with over three minutes to work. After landing some ground and pound, Della Maddalena exploded back to his feet and resumed landing sharp strikes, putting Muhammad on wobbly legs. Della Maddalena went for a takedown but was reversed, allowing Muhammad to get off some more offense on the ground momentarily. However, the fight would return to standing, where Della Maddalena would close out his championship-winning performance by pressing on the gas until the final horn. Cast Your Vote!
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Belal Muhammad eyes Madison Square Garden bout amid rumors of potential Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena pay-per-view
Belal Muhammad. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Madison Square Garden in New York City, USA, has the eye of every other fighter due to the venue's illustrious combat sports history, with the latest desire to fight there expressed by the former welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad. The venue has seen the likes of Muhammad Ali and Conor McGregor, who have achieved significantly throughout their careers. Muhammad's interest in the venue stems from the possibility of one of the biggest pay-per-view events being held at the venue, featuring Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev . Former welterweight Belal Muhammad reveals his upcoming plan within the Octagon, wishes for Jack Della Maddalena to win his upcoming bout The newly crowned welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, has had much time to sit back and relish his achievement after defeating Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Shortly after Muhammad's debacle, UFC wasted no time in announcing a move up by Islam Makhachev to the welterweight division after vacating his lightweight title and immediately getting a title shot. Despite the lack of time to process the glorious win and prepare himself to defend the title immediately, Della Maddalena, instead, seems pretty confident and hyped up for his first title defense against Makhachev. The fighter, in a recent interview with ESPN, expressed his desire to fight in Madison Square Garden, citing the examples of Muhammad Ali and Conor McGregor, who rendered some unforgettable fight experiences for the audiences and fans at the venue. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The former welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, also joins the league of players eyeing the venue while revealing his next plan of action within the division in a recent interview. In the latest Remember The Show episode, when the fighter asked about his opinion on the possibility of Makhachev fighting for the title against JDM happening at MSG, Muhammad quickly replied, 'Yeah, I am excited, right! If it's MSG for sure, I wanna be on that card. And definitely be on the same card as them.' The fighter justified how MSG as a venue would be a better option for Makhachev, 'I think it makes a lot of sense. I don't think it makes sense for Islam to go all the way to Perth. I think in MSG, they usually have a big card, a big night event. I don't know if they are trying to do Jon Jones for it.' Muhammad reveals the next plans for himself within the Octagon, 'For me now, it's jut locking it in and making the next guy pay. I am not the type that's gonna be like, 'Oh Jack s*cks and ….' I hope he wins. I hope he wins every single one of his fights and then we meet again and I get the belt back from him. Whoever he is fighting.' Muhammad seems quite fixed on redeeming himself from the title loss, and that too against Della Maddalena only. Also read: Former UFC champion Conor McGregor leaves fans in awe as he posts images and videos of his son engaged in soccer training UFC 315 had resulted in one of the major shakeups within the promotion. Had the situation been otherwise, with Muhammad still holding the championship belt, Makhachev wouldn't have moved up, and there would have been a heightened possibility of Makhachev facing the former featherweight Ilia Topuria
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
UFC play-by-play commentator reveals major Octagon plans for former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad
Belal Muhammad and Jon Anik. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik made a big revelation as he opened up on former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad 's future move within the Octagon . While his reign in the welterweight division was put to an end by Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, Muhammad aims at bouncing back and climbing the ladder once again to reach the top of the division. After the devastating loss, the fighter will now face the undefeated fighter of the division, Shavkat Rakhmonov, in order to restart the journey of securing the belt once again. Belal Muhammad is rumored to face the undisputed UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, plans to conquer the title once again Weeks removed from the devastating loss faced by Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 via a unanimous decision, rumors have started resurfacing about a possible bout between the former welterweight and Shavkat Rakhmonov, the undefeated fighter with a pro-MMA record of 19-0-0. After winning the belt at UFC 304 against Leon Edwards, Muhammad was initially supposed to defend the belt against Rakhmonov at UFC 310. However, due to an unexpected bone infection on his foot, Muhammad had to withdraw from the fight. While fans remained excited for a bout between the two fighters upon Muhammad's return, they instead met with a surprise when the fighter was paired up against Jack Della Maddalena in UFC 315. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo With the fight being over now and Muhammad losing his belt, fans speculated about a possible opponent for his next bout. Muhammad's loss made it convenient for former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to vacate his belt and move up the weight division. The Dagestani fighter will be facing Della Maddalena for a title run towards the end of this year. Since both Makhachev and Muhammad dismissed the possibility of facing each other, the latter will now be focusing on other top contenders in the division in order to secure a title run later. Fueling the fan speculation and the hope to see Muhammad and Rakhmonov go against each other finally after months of withdrawals and delays, UFC commentator Jon Anik, in a recent episode of the Anik and Florian podcast, revealed the next opponent for Muhammad's quest. Anik stated, 'We will see what Shavkat Rakhmonov has for him in October. Belal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov in October. There's your breaking news.' Also read: Belal Muhammad breaks silence on shocking circumstances behind UFC 315 title loss - 'I am going to live with that' It seems the UFC 315 setback was nothing but just a minor inconvenience for Belal Muhammad's journey as a pro MMA fighter. The former welterweight looks forward to kickstarting his title run once again and if what Anik said is legit, fans can expect an announcement shortly from the UFC. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
