Belal Muhammad won the UFC welterweight gold at UFC 304, beating Leon Edwards in a rematch. He is set for his first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at the UFC 315 main event.
However, Muhammad recently mentioned his eyes were set on bigger goals as a UFC titleholder. He plans on showcasing an Alex Pereira-like efficiency when it comes to being active as the reigning champion.
Belal Muhammad Aims for an Alex Pereira-Esque Activity Rate
Muhammad’s first title defense encounter was scheduled for UFC 310 against Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, Muhammad had to withdraw from the fight due to a bone infection in his toe, which sidelined him from competing for six weeks.
Ian Machado Garry stepped in as Muhammad’s short-notice replacement to save the matchup but lost the fight. His unbeaten streak was finally broken by Rakhmonov. After Muhammad’s pullout, the UFC authorities scheduled his first title defense encounter against Della Maddalena, which is just a day away.
Muhammad won the title nearly ten months ago, and before that, he fought only once in 2023. However, he wants to set an example as an active UFC champion and step up to save cards and matchups, similar to Alex Pereira.
In his recent conversation with the former UFC Flyweight Champion, Demetrious Johnson, “Remember the Name” mentioned, “I was ready to fight Shavkat [at UFC 310], and then we caught the injury and it was like, six weeks of doing absolutely nothing.”
“If I’m healthy, I’m ready to go again. Obviously, we always wanna stay healthy and we always wanna keep working. For me, it’s like, let’s get as many as possible… Let’s be the guy that the UFC can count on me and look at me like, ‘We got [Alex] Pereira Jr. right here’.”
😂🗿Belal Muhammad plans to be an active champion and even calls himself Alex Pereira Jr.:
"I want to be that guy the UFC can count on — look at me and say, 'We've got Alex Pereira Jr. right here'."
🎥 @MightyMouse ▫️ pic.twitter.com/fPE7KIM3gz
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) May 8, 2025
Looking at Pereira’s glorious run from 2023 to 2024, Muhammad has elected a worthy ideal to maintain his activity rate.
Pereira took to the Octagon four times from Nov. 2023 to Nov. 2024, all of which were title fights. After beating Jiri Prochazka for the UFC light heavyweight title in Nov. 2023, he defended it against Jamahal Hill, Prochazka in a rematch, and Khalil Rountree Jr. in 2024.
“Poatan” set the record for the shortest time for three title defenses in the UFC. He accomplished the feat in 175 days, beating Ronda Rousey’s record of 189 days. He also became only the seventh UFC fighter to record three title defenses in a calendar year.
He also stepped up on short notice to save the UFC 303 card after the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell off.