2 years ago
28
ARTICLE AD BOX
Belal Muhammad's first fight with Leon Edwards was declared a no contest after an eye pokeBelal Muhammad is not letting the feud with Britain's Leon Edwards go.
Ten months later, Muhammad, who is ranked number five in the welterweight division, says he wants a rematch with the Birmingham fighter.
"There's definitely unfinished business," Muhammad told BBC Sport.
"I took a short notice fight against you and you created the foul - you (Leon) poked me in the eye. Then you try and act all tough afterwards [by saying], 'Oh, I was winning the fight anyway' but that was one round out of a five-round fight and I am a guy, who turns it up as the rounds go on.
"The fact he thinks he's a champion from that one round shows me what sort of person he is - he's a weird kid."
Edwards has since played down a potential rematch with Muhammad and instead hopes a title shot with Kamaru Usman comes to fruition later this year. UFC president Dana White confirmed last week Edwards would be the next man to challenge Usman for the belt.
However, Muhammad believes Usman deserves a break from fighting following a hugely successful 2021 and issued a challenge to Edwards.
"If you think about it, Usman deserves a little break [because] he fought three times last year," Muhammad said.
"So, if I'm Leon Edwards, why not stay active? Why not stay in the mix?
"I think me versus him makes a lot of sense especially now Jorge Masvidal is fighting Colby Covington. But who knows? He likes to sit out and maybe he's going to sit out a little longer."
Since the fight with Edwards, Muhammad has had impressive victories over Demian Maia and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
With the possibility of Edwards waiting for a title fight, Muhammad has turned his attention to Khamzat Chimaev, who has captured the imagination of MMA fans since making his debut in the UFC in 2020.
"This is the fight I want," he insisted. "Everyone was posting fights you want to see in 2022 and it was always Kamaru Usman v Khamzat Chimaev, so why don't I skip all of that and go straight to Khamzat?"
Muhammad and Chimaev have been going back and forth on social media for a number of weeks.
And whilst the 33-year-old acknowledges the Russian-born Swede is a good fighter, Muhammad believes he's "all talk."
"People are giving him all this hype," he said. "Obviously, he's good, he's been hit once in four fights, so he's pretty good but do I think he's this untouchable bogeyman that nobody wants to fight? No.
"I've literally called him out. He's starting to feel all the hype and he likes the attention - that's why he's calling me out and why he's calling Gilbert [Burns] out but I think he's all talk. I'm saying let's go."
Whether Muhammad is able to secure a fight with Edwards or Chimaev remains to be seen but his objective for 2022 is to become the new welterweight champion.
"2021 showed that I am a contender. I'm a guy that can compete with anyone in the division and a guy that can beat the champion," Muhammad said.
"My goal for this year is to be the champion. I'm one fight away from fighting for the belt. I just want to stay active and fight one of these top guys."
English (US)