Montreal — A common theme from UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad during Wednesday’s UFC 315 media day: despite holding gold, he’s not the one with the target on his back.
Early in Wednesday’s media session, where Muhammad (24-3, 1NC) was asked about everyone from Shavkat Rakhmonov to Kamaru Usman to Colby Covington, the current 170 champ explained that “I didn’t look at it as I’m the reigning champion” when preparing for his first title defense, opposite Jack Della Maddalena. “I looked at it as, your next fight is your toughest fight, it’s your hardest fight.”
That’s a sentiment he returned to later, telling Cageside Press when asked whether he bought into the idea that you’re not champ until you defend the title that “I’m the champion. I won it, I earned it. But for me, now, we’re not defending the belt. We’re fighting for the belt again.”
“That’s always my mindset,” added Muhammad. “I’m not coming in here as the guy that’s being hunted. I’m the hunter. I want Jack’s record, I want Jack’s streak. I want Jack’s soul.”
Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena has said it’s “retirement time” for Muhammad, part of the trash talk likely more about selling the fight than any actual dislike. Muhammad sees it as a misfire regardless.
“I just think he’s not really good at trash talk, so he’s trying to get phrases and stuff from Craig Jones or something like that. I’m not even close to being at the end, and if he thinks that, if he thinks it’s going to be that, it’s going to be a long night for him,” stated Muhammad, who plans to make it a long night for the challenger. “I think I’m going to go in there, I’m going to break him. For him, he’s just adding these little words, little phrases, ‘I’m going to save the division, I’m going to save this, I’m going to do that.’ I just can’t wait for him to eat his words, and eat these fists.”
Muhammad has previously said that his journey isn’t done until he’s considered the best welterweight to ever fight in MMA. So just what is the measuring stick, with that in mind, when it comes to who is best? Currently the undisputed welterweight GOAT sits on MMA’s Mount Rushmore: Georges St-Pierre.
“I think quality of competition. When you look at the guys I have on my resume, they’re some of the best to ever do it,” noted Muhammad. “So now these young up-and-comers that have these long streaks, I end some of these streaks, I take some of their 0.”
“I think it’s just inevitably going to happen, where they’re going to talk about it. Where GSP, what was it, 10 title defenses in a row? We’re chasing that, we can reach that, but I think I’ll be good enough with my resume where you’ll be like, ‘he’s right next to him. He’s competing with him,'” added Muhammad. “They’re always talking about Kamaru [Usman] and him. There’s not going to be no talk after I’m done. It’s just going to be me and GSP. That’s it. There’s going to be nobody else in the conversation.”
Watch UFC welterweight champ Belal Muhammad’s full UFC 315 media day appearance above.
