Belal Muhammad reveals whether or not he’d fight his friend Islam Makhachev

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has revealed whether or not he’d fight Islam Makhachev if he came up to 170 pounds.

As we know, Belal Muhammad is the reigning, defending champion in the welterweight division. He won the gold by defeating Leon Edwards in what proved to be a fairly one-sided affair. Now, at UFC 315, he looks set to defend his strap against Jack Della Maddalena in what promises to be an entertaining, competitive encounter.

RELATED: Islam Makhachev doesn’t want to fight Ilia Topuria for one key reason, says top UFC contender

Of course, a lot of the talk surrounding this fight is on the next move for Islam Makhachev. The current lightweight king is reportedly considering a move up to welterweight, but if Muhammad is still the champion, that may throw a spanner in the works. The two have trained together extensively before, and seemingly aren’t interested in fighting one another.

Now, Muhammad himself has given a definitive answer to the question during a recent interview.

Muhammad’s thoughts on Makhachev fight

“No, I wouldn’t fight him,” Muhammad assured. “That time, they’ve done so much for me, they’ve helped me so much that it wouldn’t be worth it to fight those guys. There’s too much respect and loyalty on my end…I think people are just wondering and hoping for him to fight, looking for any excuses for him, right? There are guys in that division who make sense. Justin Gaethje makes sense…

“Paddy Pimblett came off a huge finish, he has a big name…Charles Oliveira is waiting for a rematch…there’s plenty of guys. I think Ilia [Topuria] needs to fight somebody before he gets that title shot, because it’s not really worth it for Islam to fight another [featherweight] because no matter what they do, people are going to hate on Islam.”

Quotes via Bloody Elbow

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