Belal Muhammad will serve as the backup for the UFC 296 main event, where Leon Edwards will defend the welterweight title against Colby Covington, in hopes of getting his own title shot.
Belal Muhammad is a man on a mission. He’s got his eyes on the prize – a title shot.
He’s ready to go to any lengths to get it. Even if that means serving as a backup for the UFC 296 main event.
Leon Edwards is defending his welterweight title against Colby Covington. And guess who’s waiting in the wings? Yep, it’s Muhammad.
Muhammad’s currently on a roll, with a 10 fight unbeaten streak to his name. He’ll be weighing in as a backup, ready to step in if anything happens to either of the title fighters.
This little nugget of information was confirmed by sources close to the situation. They spilled the beans to MMA Fighting, but Muhammad had already let the cat out of the bag to MMA Junkie.
Muhammad’s been on a hot streak. After trouncing Gilbert Burns in May, he was promised the No. 1 contender spot. But Covington had already been promised the next title shot.
There’s a snag though. The UFC didn’t schedule Edwards vs. Covington until December. So, Muhammad’s been cooling his heels, waiting for his golden opportunity.
Now, he’s the backup for UFC 296. He’s hoping that a fight with the winner is in the cards for 2024.
Edwards had a few words to say about Muhammad as a potential contender. They had a bit of a history, with their 2021 fight ending in a no contest after Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye.
“Is he the No. 1 contender? I don’t know. Would I fight him again? Absolutely,” Edwards said. “That’s easy work. That’s easy money. If he is the guy next, he’s the guy. But does anyone want to see that? Probably not but if he’s the guy, then I’ll happily silence him.”
While Muhammad’s got the main event covered, former UFC flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is doing the same for the co-main event. He’ll be the backup as Alexandre Pantoja defends his title against Brandon Royval.