Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest names in MMA today. The 28-year-old is currently undefeated with a 16-0 career and has won all of his eight fights in the multi-billion dollar promotion. Another impressive thing to note is that 14 out of those 16 victories have come via finishes.
“La Leyenda” has been a part of the UFC for just over four years and in that time, has emerged victorious in two title fights and has defeated big names like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Josh Emmett.
Belal Muhammad Responds to Ilia Topuria’s Comments
Topuria recently made an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience”. During his time there, the 28-year-old discussed several topics with Joe Rogan, including weight-cutting, his lightweight plans and his training routine.
At one point during the episode, the two individuals discussed whether fighters should focus on proving their dominance inside the Octagon or providing entertainment to the fans. “La Leyenda” agreed with the former but then took the opportunity to take a dig at Muhammad.
“At the same time, you don’t have to be Belal, right?” said Topuria.
The 28-year-old’s comment was in reference to the criticism “Remember The Name” has received over the years regarding the lack of finishes on his MMA record. During his stint in the UFC, Muhammad has been a part of 19 fights but has managed to finish only three – two with knockouts and one with submission.
Topuria’s comments did not sit well with the welterweight king, who responded to it during an interview with Farah Hannoun for MMA Junkie.
“I think he’s got like a Little Man Syndrome,” said Muhammad. “He’s trying to puff his chest out to think that he’s bigger than he actually is… He’s trying, right? He’s not really good at trash talk or really good at talking in general. But I think he’s just trying to portray this character.”
Muhammad then stated that the trash talk was not gonna result in a fight between the two, but he was ready for a war of words with the former 145-pound champion.
“If you want the beef, I’ll give you the beef. I’m not afraid of it, I like talking,” stated Muhammad. “So, if you’re gonna chirp back at me, I’m gonna clap right back. You’re two weight class below me. So, there’s like nothing that’s gonna come from it. But if he wants to keep talking, we can go.”