This past weekend at UFC Vegas 45, Belal Muhammad (20-3, 1 NC) took on Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (16-6-1) in the co-main event. This was a huge fight for Muhammad who was looking to establish himself near the top of the welterweight division.
The fight couldn’t have gone better for Muhammad. From the opening bell, Muhammad was all over Wonderboy. Wonderboy is insanely dangerous from range and Muhammad never gave him room to operate.
In the past, we’ve seen Wonderboy show off incredible takedown defense. However, he had no defense for Muhammad. Muhammad was suffocating with his attack and took Wonderboy down at will on Saturday night.
In the end, it was a lopsided win for Muhammad at UFC Vegas 45 which included a scorecard of 30-25. After the fight was over, Muhammad made headlines as he called out Kamaru Usman.
However, we all know that he’s not getting a title shot next. That said, the stars appear to be aligning for a big time matchup between Muhammad and the UFC’s top welterweight prospect.
Will the UFC book Muhammad – Chimaev?
The hottest name in the UFC’s welterweight division is Khamzat Chimaev (10-0). Chimaev has been historically dominant since making his debut with the UFC on Fight Island last year.
To give you an idea, in four fights, he’s absorbed one strike. That is truly insane to think about. In his last performance against Li Jingliang at UFC 267, he looked like a monster.
Chimaev picked up Li and carried him over to Dana White. He slammed him to the mat and proceeded to batter the top fifteen contender before choking him unconscious. Talk about a statement victory.
Nobody is asking to fight Chimaev outside of Neil Magny. Well, yesterday Muhammad took to Twitter and posted a photo of himself facing off with Chimaev. Muhammad said he’s down for the fight and Chimaev responded this morning.
To me, this is the perfect fight for the UFC to make. If Muhammad wins, he will get the much needed rub that he needs to make him a compelling title challenger. If Chimaev wins, the UFC’s brightest young star leaps right to the top of the division.