Belal Muhammad, the undisputed Welterweight champion, is set to make his first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Days before the fight, Muhammad was asked an interesting question, and his reply was pretty surprising.
Who Did Belal Muhammad Pick To Be His Partner?
ESPN MMA recently asked several fighters, from Daniel Cormier to Belal Muhammad, to name their pick for a hypothetical two vs two fight. The Welterweight champion picked his teammate from Valle Flow Striking.
“Ignacio Bahamondes because he’s a real-life ninja,” Muhammad replied.
Bahamondes, formerly ranked 15th at Lightweight, last fought at UFC 313, submitting Jalin Turner in the first round. Turner retired after the fight. Unfortunately for the Chilean fighter, he lost his spot in the rankings to Joel Alvarez in a later update.
The 27-year-old is now on a three-fight finishing streak, all winning the Performance of the Night bonus.
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As for the other fighters who were asked the question, Daniel Cormier named Khabib Nurmagomedov due to their brotherhood. Chael Sonnen named Conor McGregor for financial reasons.
Manon Fiorot, who will fight Valentina Shevchenko on the co-main event of UFC 315, named Georges St-Pierre, while Alex Grasso, the former Flyweight champion, named his grappling coach and former Featherweight title challenger, Diego Lopes.
Jack Della Maddalena, Muhammad’s upcoming opponent, named his Heavyweight compatriot Tai Tuivasa, reasoning that he won’t have to do anything.
Muhammad Shares Who He Wants Next After UFC 315
The UFC’s Welterweight division once had the familiar faces of Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington at the top. Now, the division is seeing new contenders rise. In his recent appearance on the FULL SEND podcast, host Kyle Forgeard asked Muhammad who he wanted next if he were victorious at UFC 315.
“Honestly, out of all of them, I think Sean Brady probably had the best performance, like beating Leon Edwards like that, finishing him. He looked the best, but obviously I finished him,” Muhammad replied.
Even though he believes Brady has earned a title shot, “Remember the Name” mentioned an upcoming Welterweight matchup to hold the trump card.
“If I’m being honest, obviously, I think if Usman goes out there and he gets a big finish against Buckley, or even if Buckley gets a big finish beating Usman and Colby back-to-back, I think that would put him ahead of everybody else,” Muhammad said.
Usman and Buckley are set to headline UFC Atlanta on Jun. 14 at the State Farm Arena. Usman is on a three-fight losing streak, and his last Octagon appearance was almost two years ago, against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.
Meanwhile, Buckley has been a menace after moving from Middleweight to Welterweight. He is on a six-fight winning streak in the division, and his last two victories were finishes against Covington and Stephen Thompson, both two-time undisputed title challengers.