Belal Muhammad

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For the Bangladeshi independence activist, see Belal Muhammad (activist).

Belal Muhammad
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Daniel Wanderley[4]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total27
Wins23
By knockout5
By submission1
By decision17
Losses3
By knockout1
By decision2
No contests1
Other information
UniversityUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Belal Muhammad (born July 9, 1988) is an American professional

Titan FC. As of October 24, 2023, he is #2 in the UFC welterweight rankings.[5]

Background

Muhammad was born and raised in

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[9]

Mixed martial arts career

Shortly after a TKO victory over Steve Carl to become the Titan Fighting Championships Welterweight Champion, and push his record to 9–0, Muhammad signed with the UFC in 2016.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On July 7, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 90, Muhammad made his UFC debut, as a short-notice replacement, against Alan Jouban.[11] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12] Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors for their performances.[13]

Muhammad next faced

UFC Fight Night 94.[14] He won the fight via TKO in the third round.[15]

Muhammad was expected to face

USADA of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test sample collected ten days earlier.[17] He was replaced by Vicente Luque.[18] Muhammad lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[19]

Muhammad was a short notice replacement and stepped in to face Randy Brown on February 11, 2017, at UFC 208.[20] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[21]

Muhammad faced Jordan Mein on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213.[22] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[23]

Muhammad was expected to face

USADA of a potential doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test conducted on August 22.[25] He was replaced by Tim Means.[26] Muhammad won the fight via split decision.[27]

Muhammad was expected to face

UFC Fight Night 131.[28] However, Price was removed from the bout on May 22 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by promotional newcomer Chance Rencountre.[29] Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision.[30]

Muhammad was scheduled to meet

UFC Fight Night 137.[31] However, on September 14, 2018, Muhammad was pulled from the bout and he was replaced by newcomer Luigi Vendramini.[32]

Muhammad faced

UFC Fight Night 143.[33] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[34]

Muhammad faced Curtis Millender on April 13, 2019, at UFC 236.[35] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[36]

Muhammad faced Takashi Sato on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242.[37] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.[38] This win earned Muhammad his first Performance of the Night award.[39]

Muhammad was expected to face Lyman Good on April 18, 2020, at UFC 249.[40] However on April 4, Good pulled out due to COVID-19 infection.[41][42] The bout was rebooked and eventually took place on June 20, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov.[43] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[44]

Muhammad was expected to face

UFC Fight Night 183.[45] However in late October, Brady had a broken nose and had to pull out of their bout,[46] and he was replaced by Dhiego Lima.[47] Subsequently, Muhammed was diagnosed with COVID-19 during the week leading up to the event and the bout was scrapped from the card[48] and the bout was rescheduled to February 13, 2021, at UFC 258[49] Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision.[50]

Muhammad faced

UFC Fight Night 187.[51] During the second round, Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye rendering him unable to continue. The fight was declared a no contest.[52]

Muhammad faced Demian Maia on June 12, 2021, at UFC 263.[53] Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision.[54]

Muhammad faced Stephen Thompson on December 18, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus.[55] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[56]

Muhammad faced

UFC on ESPN 34.[57] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[58]

Muhammad faced

UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of his cornermen for this fight.[61] He received his second Performance of the Night bonus.[62]

Muhammad faced Gilbert Burns on May 6, 2023, at UFC 288.[63] He defeated him by unanimous decision.[64]

Professional grappling career

Muhammad was scheduled to compete against Tarek Suleiman in the no gi co-main event of ADXC 1 on October 20, 2023.[65] He withdrew from the match on short notice and was replaced by Marvin Vettori.[66]

Personal life

Muhammad is a Muslim,[67] and an outspoken supporter of Palestine.[68] He has denounced the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip showing support for Palestinians while also condemning antisemitism.[69]

On June 1, 2020, businesses owned by Muhammad's father and cousins in Chicago were looted and destroyed as a result of the George Floyd unrest.[70]

He threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Chicago Cubs on July 28, 2021.[71]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
27 matches 23 wins 3 losses
By knockout 5 1
By submission 1 0
By decision 17 2
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 23–3 (1) Gilbert Burns Decision (unanimous) UFC 288 May 6, 2023 5 5:00 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Win 22–3 (1) Sean Brady TKO (punches) UFC 280 October 22, 2022 2 4:47 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Performance of the Night.
Win 21–3 (1) Vicente Luque Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2 April 16, 2022 5 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
Win 20–3 (1) Stephen Thompson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus December 18, 2021 3 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
Win 19–3 (1) Demian Maia Decision (unanimous) UFC 263 June 12, 2021 3 5:00 Glendale, Arizona, United States
NC 18–3 (1) Leon Edwards NC (accidental eye poke) UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad March 13, 2021 2 0:18
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States 		Accidental eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue.
Win 18–3 Dhiego Lima Decision (unanimous) UFC 258 February 13, 2021 3 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
Win 17–3 Lyman Good Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov June 20, 2020 3 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
Win 16–3 Takashi Sato Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 242 September 7, 2019 3 1:55 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Performance of the Night.
Win 15–3 Curtis Millender Decision (unanimous) UFC 236 April 13, 2019 3 5:00
Atlanta, Georgia
, United States
Loss 14–3 Geoff Neal Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw January 19, 2019 3 5:00
Brooklyn, New York
, United States
Win 14–2 Chance Rencountre Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes June 1, 2018 3 5:00 Utica, New York, United States
Win 13–2 Tim Means Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura November 19, 2017 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia
Win 12–2 Jordan Mein Decision (unanimous) UFC 213 July 8, 2017 3 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States
Win 11–2 Randy Brown Decision (unanimous) UFC 208 February 11, 2017 3 5:00
Brooklyn, New York
, United States
Loss 10–2 Vicente Luque KO (punches) UFC 205 November 12, 2016 1 1:19 New York City, New York, United States
Win 10–1 Augusto Montaño TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson September 17, 2016 3 4:19 Hidalgo, Texas, United States
Loss 9–1 Alan Jouban Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Alvarez July 7, 2016 3 5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada
, United States 		Fight of the Night.
Win 9–0 Steve Carl TKO (punches) Titan FC 38 April 30, 2016 4 4:07
Miami, Florida
, United States 		Won the inaugural Titan FC Welterweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Zane Kamaka Decision (unanimous) Titan FC 35 September 19, 2015 3 5:00 Ridgefield, Washington, United States
Win 7–0 Keith Johnson Decision (unanimous) Titan FC 33 March 20, 2015 3 5:00 Mobile, Alabama, United States Catchweight (174 lb) bout; Johnson missed weight.
Win 6–0 Chris Curtis Decision (unanimous) Hoosier Fight Club 21 September 13, 2014 3 5:00 Valparaiso, Indiana, United States
Win 5–0 A.J. Matthews Decision (unanimous)
Bellator 112
 March 14, 2014 3 5:00 Hammond, Indiana, United States
Win 4–0 Garrett Gross Decision (unanimous) Hoosier Fight Club 18 November 9, 2013 3 5:00 Valparaiso, Indiana, United States
Win 3–0 Jimmy Fritz TKO (punches) Hoosier Fight Club 15 April 6, 2013 2 2:19 Valparaiso, Indiana, United States
Win 2–0 Quinton McCottrell Decision (unanimous)
Bellator 84
 December 14, 2012 3 5:00 Hammond, Indiana, United States
Win 1–0 Justin Brock TKO (punches) Hoosier Fight Club 12 August 18, 2012 1 2:17 Valparaiso, Indiana, United States Welterweight debut.

[75]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Belal Muhammad | UFC". UFC.com. September 14, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Tim Thompson (August 30, 2016). "Exclusive Interview With UFC Welterweight Contender Belal Muhammad". Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews.
  3. ^ Danny Doherty (September 15, 2016). "UFC Hidalgo: Belal Muhammad Looking for More Bonus Money". cagepages.com.
  4. ^ @bullyb170 (May 24, 2017). ""(...) I was promoted to purple belt today!!!! (...)"". Retrieved July 9, 2017 – via Instagram.
  5. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Hannoun, Farah (September 3, 2019). "Fighting, faith and family: Belal Muhammad proud to represent ahead of UFC 242". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Steven Marrocco (January 9, 2021). "Belal Muhammad aiming for breakthrough 2021: 'I belong fighting these top-tier guys'". mmafighting.com.
  8. ^ Brendan Schaub (June 14, 2022). "Belal Muhammad | Food Truck Diaries w/ Brendan Schaub" (Podcast).
  9. ^ Raimondi, Marc (November 12, 2016). "Muhammad embracing idea of being Muslim role model". MMA Fighting. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Zane Simon (May 27, 2016). "Welcome to the UFC, Belal Muhammad". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  11. ^ Tristen Critchfield (June 8, 2016). "Alan Jouban gets new opponent Belal Muhammad for UFC Fight Night on July 7". sherdog.com. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Brent Brookhouse (July 7, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 90 results: Alan Jouban outworks gutsy Belal Muhammad for decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Tristen Critchfield (July 7, 2016). "UFC Fight Night bonuses: Alvarez, Jouban, Muhammad, Munhoz collect $50K". sherdog.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ^ Staff (July 21, 2016). "Augusto Montano vs. Belal Muhammad added to UFC Fight Night 94 in Texas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  15. ^ Ben Fowlkes (September 17, 2016). "UFC Fight Night 94 results: Belal Muhammad drops hands on Augusto Montano for late stoppage". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  16. ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (September 23, 2016). "Belal Muhammad gets quick turnaround, fights Lyman Good at UFC 205". mmafighting.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  17. ^ Staff (October 24, 2016). "Lyman Good receives USADA notice, pulled from UFC 205". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  18. ^ Jesse Holland (October 25, 2016). "Vicente Luque has Good reason to face Belal Muhammad at UFC 205". mmamania.com. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  19. ^ Steven Marrocco (November 12, 2016). "UFC 205 results: Vicente Luque ends Belal Muhammad's night in 79 seconds with vicious KO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  20. ^ Staff (February 4, 2017). "With Sullivan out, Randy Brown now meets Belal Muhammad at UFC 208 in Brooklyn". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  21. ^ Ben Fowlkes (February 11, 2017). "UFC 208 results: Belal Muhammad cruises past New York's Randy Brown for decision win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  22. ^ Daniel Austin (May 25, 2017). "Lethbridge fighter Jordan Mein to battle Belal Muhammad in UFC 213". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  23. ^ "UFC 213 results: Belal Muhammad soundly defeats Jordan Mein by unanimous decision". MMAjunkie. July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  24. ^ Staff (August 17, 2017). "Belal Muhammad says he's fighting Jesse Taylor at UFC Fight Night 121 in Australia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  25. ^ Tristen Critchfield (September 13, 2017). "'TUF 25' winner Jesse Taylor facing anti-doping violation, removed from UFC Fight Night 121". sherdog.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  26. ^ Shawn Bitter (October 11, 2017). "Tim Means vs. Belal Muhammad in the works for UFC Sydney". mma-today.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  27. ^ "UFC Fight Night 121 results: Belal Muhammad takes split from Tim Means, calls out Colby Covington". MMAjunkie. November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  28. ^ Staff (April 11, 2018). "UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica gets two new bouts". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  29. ^ Staff (May 22, 2018). "Belal Muhammad gets new opponent for UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  30. ^ "UFC Fight Night 131 results: Belal Muhammad makes easy work of Chance Rencountre". MMAjunkie. June 2, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  31. ^ "Belal Muhammad vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos added to UFC Fight Night 137 in Brazil". MMAjunkie. July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  32. ^ "Undefeated newcomer Luigi Vendramini replaces Belal Muhammad at UFC Sao Paulo". MMA Fighting. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  33. ^ Mark La Monica (November 6, 2018). "UFC on ESPN+ in Brooklyn gets its first scheduled bout". newsday.com. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  34. ^ Dave Doyle (January 19, 2019). "UFC Brooklyn results: Geoff Neal scores impressive win over Belal Muhammad". mmafighting.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  35. ^ Marcel Dorff (March 15, 2019). "Snelle terugkeer voor Curtis Millender tegen Belal Muhammad tijdens UFC 236 in Atlanta" (in Dutch). Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  36. ^ "UFC 236 results: Belal Muhammad relentless pressure too much for Curtis Millender". MMA Junkie. April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  37. ^ Marcel Dorff (May 13, 2019). "Belal Muhammad vs. Takashi Sato eerste gevecht voor UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi" (in Dutch). Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  38. ^ Anderson, Jay (September 7, 2019). "UFC 242 Results: Belal Muhammad Wraps Up Win Over Takeshi Sato With Third-Round Submission". Cageside Press. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  39. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (September 7, 2019). "Khabib Nurmagemodov leads quartet of UFC 242 performance bonuses". MMA Fighting. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  40. ^ Mark La Monica (February 12, 2020). "UFC 249: Lyman Good vs. Belal Muhammad set for welterweight bout at Barclays Center". newsday.com. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  41. ^ Marrocco, Steven (April 20, 2020). "Lyman Good admits positive test for COVID-19, says he's healthy now and wants to fight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  42. ^ Danny Segura (April 4, 2020). "Lyman Good out of UFC 249 bout with Belal Muhammad due to injury". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  43. ^ Farah Hannoun (May 22, 2020). "Lyman Good to face Belal Muhammad in first UFC fight since coronavirus infection". mmajunkie.com.
  44. ^ Jay Anderson (June 21, 2020). "UFC on ESPN 11 Results: Belal Muhammad Bloodied, But Gets By Lyman Good". Cageside Press. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  45. ^ Farah Hannoun (October 7, 2020). "Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady added to UFC's Dec. 19 event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  46. ^ Farah Hannoun (October 30, 2020). "Belal Muhammad says Sean Brady is out of their fight, wants Mike Perry as a replacement". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  47. ^ Jamal Boussenaf (November 16, 2020). "Dhiego Lima vervangt uitgevallen Sean Brady tegen Belal Muhammad". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  48. ^ Staff (December 15, 2020). "COVID-19 takes Belal Muhammad out of Dhiego Lima bout at UFC Fight Night 183". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  49. ^ Heck, Mike (January 8, 2021). "Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima rebooked for UFC 258". MMA Fighting. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  50. ^ Vreeland, Daniel (February 13, 2021). "UFC 258 Results: Belal Muhammad Backs Up and Batters Dhiego Lima". Cageside Press. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  51. ^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (February 18, 2021). "Belal Muhammad steps up, agrees to Leon Edwards fight for UFC main event on March 13". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  52. ^ Doherty, Dan (March 13, 2021). "UFC Vegas 21 Results: Accidental Eye Poke Ends Main Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  53. ^ Damon Martin; Mike Heck (April 4, 2021). "Demian Maia to face Belal Muhammad at UFC 263". MMA FIGHTING. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  54. ^ Vreeland, Daniel (June 12, 2021). "UFC 263 Results: Belal Muhammad Stuffs Demian Maia's Takedowns, Wins Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  55. ^ Jay Pettry (November 11, 2021). "Stephen Thompson-Belal Muhammad welterweight battle set for UFC Fight Night 199". Sherdog. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  56. ^ Anderson, Jay (December 18, 2021). "UFC Vegas 45: Belal Muhammad Out-Grapples Stephen Thompson for Decision Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  57. ^ Martin, Damon (January 25, 2022). "Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2 headlines UFC event on April 16". MMA Fighting. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  58. ^ Anderson, Jay (April 17, 2022). "UFC Vegas 51: Belal Muhammad's Wrestling, Movement Key in Win Over Vicente Luque". Cageside Press. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  59. ^ Bohn, Mike (July 8, 2022). "Undefeated Sean Brady gets wish, meets Belal Muhammad in UFC's Abu Dhabi return Oct. 22". MMA Junkie. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  60. ^ Anderson, Jay (October 22, 2022). "UFC 280: Belal Muhammad Becomes First to Beat, Stop Sean Brady". Cageside Press. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  61. MMAjunkie
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  62. ^ a b Staff (October 22, 2022). "UFC 280 bonuses: The Sean O'Malley-Petr Yan banger was a $50,000 no-brainer". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  63. ^ Bohn, Mike (April 20, 2023). "UFC 288 adds Gilbert Burns vs. Belal Muhammad as short notice five-round co-headliner". MMA Junkie. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  64. ^ Rush, Dylan (May 7, 2023). "UFC 288: Belal Muhammad Earns Decision, Title Shot Against Injured Gilbert Burns". Cageside Press. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  65. ^ Blackett, Todd (September 28, 2023). "Belal Muhammad Set To Compete In ADXC 1 Co-Main Event". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  66. ^ Jones, Phil (October 14, 2023). "Marvin Vettori Replaces Belal Muhammad At ADXC 1". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  67. ^ "Belal Muhammad On Fighting During Ramadan, Representing 'Real Muslims' - FloCombat". www.flocombat.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  68. ^ Khaled, Ali (June 7, 2021). "Belal Muhammad proud to display Palestinian roots in bid to upset Demian Maia at UFC". Arab News. Saudi Research and Media Group.
  69. ^ Bissell, Tim (May 19, 2021). "'Pro Palestine, without being antisemitic'; Badr Hari, Belal Muhammad speak out about ethnic cleansing in Palestine". Bloody Elbow. SB Nation.
  70. ^ UFC’s Belal Muhammad says dad’s store was ‘looted and destroyed’ during George Floyd protests Mookie Alexander, MMA Fighting (June 2, 2020)
  71. ^ Calhoun, Curtis (October 18, 2023). "Belal Muhammad threw out the Cubs first pitch in his Crocs (Video)". Fansided. Minute Media.
  72. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (September 7, 2019). "Khabib Nurmagemodov leads quartet of UFC 242 performance bonuses". MMA Fighting. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  73. ^ a b UFC (June 24, 2023). "UFC Stats - Welterweight Division". ufc.com.
  74. ^ "MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for January: A bloody barnburner". mmajunkie.com. February 1, 2019.
  75. ^ Sherdog.com. "Belal". Sherdog. Retrieved November 17, 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belal_Muhammad&oldid=1220684902"