Belal Muhammad is gearing up for his welterweight title defense against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 this Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.
This matchup is one of the most anticipated on the UFC calendar, pitting two fighters on long winning streaks against each other with gold on the line. But before the action unfolds, Muhammad has been in the spotlight for a very different reason.
An old video of Muhammad being stopped by a security guard at UFC 310 has resurfaced and gone viral. The clip, from just a few months ago, shows a bizarre moment where the reigning champion was mistaken for a fan as he tried to enter the Octagon following a post-fight callout. The incident has sparked plenty of buzz, with both Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor chiming in.
‘Who’s This Guy?’: Belal Muhammad Blocked by Security in Bizarre UFC 310 Moment
After defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to win the welterweight title, Muhammad was scheduled to defend the belt for the first time against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. That bout fell through after Muhammad was forced to withdraw due to a bone infection in his leg.
Rakhmonov instead faced Ian Machado Garry in a non-title bout at UFC 310 in December. After winning by unanimous decision, he called out Muhammad in the cage. The champ was in the crowd and tried to approach the Octagon for a faceoff — but was blocked by security. The guard apparently didn’t recognize him and assumed he was an overzealous fan. Rogan had to step in and clear things up, pointing out that Muhammad is the reigning champion.
The awkward moment caught McGregor’s attention, and he posted the clip to X with the caption, “The security doesn’t know he’s the champ. Who’s this guy?” He could be heard laughing in the background, adding even more fuel to the viral moment.
Speaking with Schmo, Muhammad explained the confusion from his side.
“They thought I was pulling a Merab, like hopping over and going crazy or something like that,” Muhammad said. “I’m like, no, he called me, bro. Somebody called me in the cage—I’m going to go in there, right? They didn’t realize what was going on. They thought I was going in there to attack him. I was like, bro, chill.”
Now, with the spotlight back on him for all the right reasons, Muhammad enters UFC 315 on an 11-fight unbeaten streak. Maddalena, who’s won 17 straight, including seven in the UFC, is looking to crash the party and walk out with the title.