Belal Muhammad came into the title fight on quite a bleed at the UFC 304 pay-per-view (PPV) main event. Having not lost since early 2019, he registered win after win (albeit a no-contest) yet had much to prove. He also had the goals of becoming the first Palestinian champ. When Muhammad upset Leon Edwards for the undisputed gold, he achieved all that. Yet, there are some underlying misnomers about his job title!
Muhammad had a sitdown for Chicago’s own WGN9 (WGNTV) for the second time in over a year. ‘Remember the Name’ has been relishing unprecedented support, fame, and fandom since his UFC 304 title win. However, when Tonya Francisco interviewed the first champ out of Southside Chicago, she had to make sure of his credentials.
Is that how you got involved in UFC…Is, is it not ‘UFC’ fighting…is it just street fighting, or…?
Tonya Francisco on WGNTV Daytime Chicago on WGN-TV from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m
Muhammad had to correct what he did for a living.
Mixed martial arts…Yea, so I was in high school…and then I was going for law…and it was like snowball-effect from there, I just started fell in love with the sport, started training more and more.
Belal Muhammad on WGNTV Daytime Chicago
The UFC welterweight now stands at a stout 24-3 stat. He now has wins over top crops like Edwards, Gilbert Burns, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, and others. However, this particular instance is embroiled in the fact that MMA as a mainstream sport is still not that common to many people. More committed industry standouts like Joe Rogan have often tried explaining Ultimate Fighting to his following.
Now that the Team Valle Flow Striking fighter is the champion, he plans to leave behind a legacy bigger than life. That includes a resilient effort to promote MMA as well. On the heels of UFC 304, Belal Muhammad plans to be an active champion and uplift the welterweight division again. Realistically, he plans to make a title defense at the year-end pay-per-view event. Subsequently, Muhammad credits his Chicago roots to his MMA journey.
How attitude fueled Chicago’s Belal Muhammad’s rise to the UFC and shed light on MMA
Belal Muhammad did not always have an easy path to the championship gold. The Palestinian American out of Chicago often catches flak for his stateside origins. More unhinged fighters on the roster have often instigated trash talks on this very issue. To top it off, his slow-running streak of decision wins did not help. Even Edwards was indifferent to his struggle to the top before the UFC 304 pay-per-view showdown.
Chicago background helped Belal Muhammad take a shine to MMA (Source: complex.com)However, even without MMA being a niche culture on his radar, Muhammad managed to thrive in the sport. The Chicago fighter did his part to enlarge the scope of combat sports in the historically upscale urban habitat he is from. Last year, Muhammad worked hard to hoist himself all the way up to the No. 4 ranking in the division. Muhammad was to be the co-main event of UFC 288. Before this, he talked about where his toughness comes from and how it has brought a spotlight to MMA.
It’s not really about body type, it’s about who’s stronger mentally, who’s stronger mentally, physically, who’s strong spiritually, …I think that’s where my toughness comes in…I just think being from Chicago, you have to be tough. You can’t be soft. It comes a lot from that and it comes a lot from having four brothers, being a wrestler in high school, being at a south side school in high school. You can’t get walked on.
Belal Muhammad in UFC 288 pre-fight media interviews, with Larry Hawley for WGN News Now
Some of this hardness, he says, comes from growing up in Chicago. Belal Muhammad fought amateur in 2010 before first stepping into the octagon professionally with Hoosier Fight Club. Stints with Bellator MMA and Titan FC followed. While not all that of a niche, the rugged semi-urban street mentality helped MMA prosper in the area. Nowadays, Chicago MMA, EvolutionMMA, Carlson-Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Chicago Muay Thai Kickboxing Club, and others are more common names than before.
