Belal Muhammad is willing to do whatever it takes to get his shot at UFC gold, including weighing in as a backup fighter for the UFC 296 main event between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington.
UFC CEO Dana White has previously stated Muhammad would receive a welterweight title shot after extending his unbeaten streak to 10 fights with a short-notice win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288 in May. His expectation is he will fight the winner of Saturday’s championship clash between Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) and Covington (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), but he’s leaving nothing to chance.
Muhammad (23-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) confirmed to MMA Junkie on Sunday that he will weigh in as the backup fighter in the unlikely situation Edwards or Covington are forced to withdraw from the final UFC event of 2023, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
