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Conor McGregor is trying to insert his name into the title picture with a potential win over Michael Chandler at UFC 303. But welterweight contender Belal Muhammad does not see a legitimate threat in the Irishman's skillset and brutally roasted him about his role in the movie Road House.
During a recent Duel Bits livestream, McGregor criticized reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and Muhammad, the next challenger for the title. McGregor took a jab at both fighters, implying that their fighting styles lack entertainment value:
"There's too many decisions going on now with that Leon fella. Leon Edwards loves a decision. And then he's fighting another f***ing decision guy, your man Belal Muhammad, so not great times in the welterweight title picture."
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McGregor's statement was recently posted on MMA Junkie's Instagram.
Muhammad took to the comments section of the post and took a stinging jab at McGregor, bringing up the climax scene from the Road House movie where the Irishman loses to actor Jake Gyllenhaal:
"Didn't this guy get finished by Jake Gyllenhaal."
Fan reactions to Muhammad's comment suggest that many agree with his opinion but an overwhelming majority also find McGregor's claim to be true.
For the uninitiated, Muhammad is riding a 10-fight unbeaten streak. However, barring a TKO win over Sean Brady at UFC 280 and a submission win over Takashi Sato at UFC 242, all of Muhammad's victories came by unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, Edwards, who is on a 13-fight unbeaten run, secured the only finish in nearly six years when he knocked Kamaru Usman out to win the welterweight title at UFC 278. The perceived lack of finishing ability has been a point of criticism about both fighters.
Conor McGregor implies that he has an advantage over welterweight champion Leon Edwards
The UFC 303 pay-per-view event headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler is sandwiched between the events headlining lightweight and welterweight title fights.
While many believe the placement to be a strategic decision to insert McGregor into the title picture depending upon the outcome, the Irishman seems more inclined towards fighting the welterweight champion and explained the reason during the aforementioned Duel Bits Livestream:
"I've held that [lightweight title before]. How excited would I be to cut that?" [2:18]
McGregor then shared his thoughts on the welterweight title picture. Citing the outcome of Edwards' fights against Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone, the Irishman implied that he has a good chance of defeating Leon Edwards:
"You look at the welterweight picture, which is the next belt, my next weight. Leon Edwards - Nate Diaz almost knocked him out. Had him out on his feet. If that fight's going on Leon's unconscious. Also, [Donald] Cerrone went the distance with him. So I'm looking at all these belts."
Catch Conor McGregor's comments below (2:01):
For reference, McGregor defeated Cerrone by Round 1 TKO at UFC 246. Meanwhile, he scored multiple knockdowns in his majority decision win over Diaz at UFC 202.
Edwards holds unanimous decision wins over both Cerrone and Diaz. However, he survived a late knockout scare against the Stockton native.
