Belal Muhammad delivers verdict on Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland

Former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has delivered his verdict on the title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.

At UFC 304, Muhammad finally achieved the dream that every MMA fighter has when they start their career. But it was not easy to get the shot at the gold; it took him to go on a 10-fight unbeaten streak in the promotion, and now, Nassourdine Imavov finds himself in a similar situation.

Imavov is currently on a five-fight win streak, and all wins are over ranked opponents, including a victory against two-time champion Israel Adesanya.

It seemed like Nassourdine would get a title shot after his brilliant run in the UFC, but earlier this month, the promotion’s CEO, Dana White, announced that Sean Strickland will challenge Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in May.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Muhammad said that it would be tough for Imavov as he was the deserving candidate to get a title shot at the middleweight division.

“Sucks for Imavov,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel.

“You’ve got to feel for him. I thought he earned the title shot. I thought that he was going to get the title shot, but I think the trash talk, and the stupidity, and the era we live in now, where Strickland talks his way into a title shot. You know it’s going to get people to want to talk, to want to view, especially with Chimaev. You know they’re going to go back and forth.”

Strickland is the former champion in the division, and this is his third title match. He was defeated by Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 last year in a rematch. But he defeated Anthony Hernandez in February, which earned him a chance to beat Khamzat.

“You’ve got to be loud,” Muhammad said. “I think we just saw with Imavov that wins aren’t enough. It’s going to be the loudest one in the room that’s going to get the — squeaky wheel gets the oil.”

But while Muhammad sympathises with Imavov’s unfortunate situation, he is at the same time excited for Strickland vs Khamzat Chimaev.

Belal has a long rivalry with Strickland and has said that he is excited to see Khamzat smash him for all the talking he has done.

“The thing I’m excited for is to see Chimaev smash him and walk through him,” Muhammad said. “I think that’s what it’s going to be. I think he’s going to be able to take him down, control him, and I’m hoping cut him open a little bit, let him bleed a little bit, and then break him mentally, and tap him out.”