Belal Muhammad believes he saw "weaknesses" in rival Khamzat Chimaev during his previous victory over Gilbert Burns.
Muhammad, who is ranked at No.5 in the UFC's welterweight division, recently called out Chimaev on social media who is currently looking for his next challenge. The pair verbally agreed to a contest on Fight Island in October this year after the UFC announced their plans to return to the iconic venue.
The UFC contender believes his rival suffer defeat against any of the leading stars in the division if he continues to fight without a set strategy. “I saw weaknesses in him,” said Muhammad on Food Truck Diaries with Brendan Schaub. “Obviously, people are like, ‘Oh man, he’s not as good as we thought he was.’ But I’m like, ‘Yo, he showed that he had a chin, he showed that he got power,’ and it’s like — you’re fighting Gilbert Burns.
“When you get to the top five, if you’re not fighting with a strategy, you’re going to lose to the good guys,” said Muhammad. “For me, these last three fights I’ve showed that I could fight with a strategy because they were all different fighters. I fought Demian Maia, who’s — I had to stay up on my feet. I could not get taken down, so it’s all defensive wrestling. Then I fought ‘Wonderboy’, who’s — I’m not going to kickbox with ‘Wonderboy’, so I’m going to go in there and take ‘Wonderboy’ down.
"And I think that Khamzat’s team is looking at that like, ‘Let’s look for somebody else at this moment, let’s not try to jump on that,’ because if Colby [Covington] is out and I’m willing to fight you, we could fight in June, we could fight in July. I’m ready to go. Why aren’t you guys willing to step up that quick?”
Chimaev was set to be next in-line for leading contender Colby Covington after outpointing Burns earlier this year. But the Chechen star has several options for his return and has even called out UFC superstar Conor McGregor who is expected to return from injury at 170lb.
Who would win if the pair fought - Khamzat Chimaev or Belal Muhammad? Let us know in the comments section below
The rising star's coach was disappointed with his charge's performance against Burns who came tantalisingly close to stoppage defeat after being hit with a barrage of powerful shots. However Chimaev's opponent believes the star is destined for big things providing he is not distracted during his rise.
"If [Chimaev] continues on a good path, it's because there are many variables. Imagine the best guy in this scenario, with the guy doing the right job, training and focused. That guy will get better," Burns told Canal Encrada. There's also the Conor McGregor effect happening to him, when the guy suddenly blows up with lots of followers, sponsorship and money. That will have an effect too and the guy will kind of go the other way. Just like I've seen it already kind of happening."
