Las Vegas, NV – Many have tried to solve the puzzle that is “Wonderboy” but nobody has done it the way UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 45 at the UFC APEX on Saturday night.
Muhammad (20-3) earned a dominant unanimous decision win (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) over UFC staple Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (16-6-1). Whether or not Muhammad felt that he would win in the fashion he did he answered in his post-fight scrum.
“I thought it was going to happen that way. I’ve been saying it for a long time I belong with the top guys. I need to fight the top guys in the world. I’m a top contender in the world and I just proved it tonight with the way I beat him (Thompson). My last fight I just beat the best grappler in the world in Demian Maia and I just beat the best striker in the world in Stephen Thompson,” Muhammad told the media.
“I just showed that I could adapt to anybody’s style.”
Muhammad has in fact been saying that he belongs at the top of the welterweight division and made his case on Saturday night. In his post-fight interview he called out the champion Kamaru Usman and contender Leon Edwards.
“Who’s ever beaten ‘Wonderboy’ 30-26? Who’s ever beaten ‘Wonderboy’ in that style? Nobody’s ever beaten him that way. And Wonderboy’s fought for the title twice. Demian Maia’s fought for the title twice. I beat both of those guys in dominant fashion. So you’re telling me Leon Edwards deserves it over me and he almost got knocked out by Nate Diaz. Nate Diaz didn’t lose that fight because Nate Diaz never loses a fight. But the way that I just beat ‘Wonderboy’ nobody’s ever done that to him. Even Gilbert Burns beat him dominantly but it wasn’t like that.”
“I deserve that title shot next because my streak is as long as Leon’s streak. And Leon’s already lost to Usman. Let’s stop with these rematches. Let’s stop with ‘Oh he beat Colby twice. He beat Masvidal twice. And now he’s the GOAT. Naw give him new blood, give him a new look.”
During his post-fight interview Muhammad said that he heard someone in the crowd yelling Arabic slurs and he pointed the fan out and thanked him for the motivation.
“Yeah he was screaming out, it was some drunk hick or something like that, screaming out racist Arabic words and stuff like that. I was just like, ‘Wonderboy are these your boys?’ and he said, ‘Nah, nah they ain’t my boys.’ I was like, ‘Alright cool’ Kept punching him again. It’s like a small APEX so you hear everything. It was just weird. I was like, ‘Alright I can see who you are’ so I’m about to catch him on the strip later today”
Watch the rest of Belal Muhammad’s UFC Vegas 45 post-fight interview above.
