This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Qatar, we saw a potential title eliminator in the welterweight division. Former champion Belal Muhammad (24-5, 1 NC) was looking to bounce back after losing his title as he took on top contender Ian Machado Garry (17-1).
Muhammad lost the title back in May when he lost a decision to Jack Della Maddalena. In that fight, Muhammad had an awful game plan where he was steadfast in wanting to outstrike JDM to retain his title. He didn’t really start using his grappling and pressure until later in the fight when it was already too late.
He hung in there with JDM, but he lost a decision. He went away from what he does best. In the lead up to his fight with Ian Machado Garry, once against Muhammad was talking about outstriking Machado Garry. He said he wanted to use his wrestling sparingly while mainly outlanding him on the feet.
Belal Muhammad has good striking, but what makes his striking appear great is the ability to mix things up. In his last two fights, he’s fallen behind the eight ball while trying to strike and then his grappling becomes predictable and easier to defend against.
At UFC Qatar, he was just always a step behind Ian Machado Garry. He was getting hit from range and he never was able to land a takedown. While he did land a couple of nice shots, he lost all three rounds on my card and ultimately, he lost a lopsided decision.
What’s next after UFC Qatar?
Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards are both examples of how quickly the script can flip in this sport. Leon Edwards had an incredible run up to the UFC welterweight title and after climbing to the top of the mountain and defending his title a couple of times, he’s now lost three fights in a row.
The first loss in that stretch was to Belal Muhammad. Muhammad was then on top of the world as the welterweight champion riding a very impressive win streak. Now, just over a year after capturing the welterweight title, Muhammad has lost two fights in a row with a lot of questions surrounding his future.
Muhammad is also not a spring chicken at 37-years-old. In terms of what’s next, he will likely fall to the sixth spot in the rankings when they are updated tomorrow. In terms of his next opponent, there are a few options out there.
He could have a rematch with Sean Brady or he could also have a rematch with Jack Della Maddalena after JDM lost the title to Islam Makhachev. Personally, I think the UFC would likely pair those two against each other which would leave Muhammad needing a new opponent.
The other two option in my opinion would be surging contender Gabriel Bonfim or Joaquin Buckley. Whoever Muhammad doesn’t fight in that scenario would likely be paired up against Leon Edwards.
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