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In a recent interview, UFC welterweight kingpin Belal Muhammad outlined his goals as champion. Muhammad wants to revitalize the division by becoming an active champion in a vein similar to former light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira.
While speaking to one of MMA's all-time greats, Demetrious Johnson, 'Remember the Name' touched on the legacy he wants to leave behind, despite having zero title defenses so far. He wants to be a kind of champion that the UFC can rely on when in need of a compelling main event, just as other fighters have been. He said:
"I want to be an active champion. Those are the guys that I see and I want to be that guy where the UFC can count on me and look at me and be like, 'We've got [Alex] Pereira Jr. right here. Let's just hit him up.'"
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Check out Belal Muhammad's comments below (13:34):
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Muhammad captured the welterweight strap at UFC 304 in a largely dominant unanimous decision win over Leon Edwards. The pair have a well-known rivalry that began after their first encounter at UFC Vegas 21, which ended via no-contest after an errant Edwards eye poke rendered Muhammad unable to continue.
While 'Remember the Name' requested a rematch, 'Rocky' was disinterested, brushing him off. This same dynamic repeated years later when Muhammad had racked up an impressive unbeaten streak. However, when they eventually locked horns, the bout took on a far different complexion than the first.
Their initial encounter saw Edwards get the better of Muhammad before the fight-ending eye poke. The rematch, however, saw Muhammad outwrestle the Englishman, with his only true moment of danger being Round 5, where 'Rocky' gained top control and battered him with elbows.
Belal Muhammad makes first title defense at UFC 315
At UFC 315, Belal Muhammad defends his welterweight title against one of Australia's latest stars, Jack Della Maddalena. Della Maddalena is on a jaw-dropping 17-fight win streak, with a stunning knockout over former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns being his latest victory.
However, the Australian wasn't Muhammad's original opponent. The welterweight champion was initially expected to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov. Unfortunately, injuries forced the unbeaten Kazakh to withdraw this time.
