Belal Muhammad invoked the name of Jeffrey Epstein during a recent UFC media day, which drew out a myriad of puzzled reactions from the MMA world at large. ‘Remember the Name’ prepares to take on surging contender Ian Machado Garry in a high-stakes welterweight clash set for the November 22nd UFC Fight Night main event offering.
During the pre-fight media day for UFC Qatar, with an excerpt posted to X account @ChampRDS, Muhammad referred to documents related to underage sex trafficker Epstein and the files that the Justice Department has on his impropriety, which seems to strongly tie him to many affluent power players in America.
The controversial statement in question saw Muhammad say,
“I’m training with young monsters. Ignacio Bahamondes is probably 28, and I think he’s one of the best strikers in UFC. Like I said got a 17-year-old now… who’s a monster right. It feels like the Epstein files without the sex, right. I’m getting their powers through sparring and training.”
“So it feels good and I love training everyday with these guys. I’m learning from these guys, and I’m growing so much from these guys. The energy they bring, it makes me feel younger. I’m still young in the sport. My body feels good every single day I wake up. I’m blessed to be where I am right now.”
Belal Muhammad tips cap to Leon Edwards despite UFC 322 setback
Belal Muhammad still thinks Leon Edwards has a lot more gas in the tank despite his most recent setback. During his effort at the previous UFC pay-per-view offering, ‘Rocky’ Edwards was knocked out for the first time ever in the octagon when he was stopped by Carlos Prates.
During an interview with Newsweek Sports discussing that third straight loss for Edwards, Muhammad feels like ‘Rocky’ has a lot of juice left. Belal Muhammad mentioned that his fellow ex-UFC 170-pound titleholder hasn’t been losing to bums as of late and how former champions will always face that dense schedule of elite competition. Muhammad feels this just represents a bit of a hump for Edwards to overcome post-UFC 322.
Muhammad became the UFC welterweight champion when he claimed the strap from Leon Edwards himself. This took place by way of unanimous decision at UFC 304 in July of last year. That was a rematch between the two, with Muhammad and Edwards’ first fight ending from an errant eye poke and being called a no-contest for the inauspicious verdict.