Will Khabib ruin Makhachev’s dream? Orel prepares a UFC championship contender
Sergey Sorokin July 26, 2024, 11:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Muhammad will become an obstacle to Islam’s transition to a new division.
On the night of July 27-28, Manchester (England) will host the next tournament numbered UFC 304. In the main event of the evening, Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad will fight for the title. The confrontation is interesting from a sporting point of view. Both fighters are capable of winning, so the intrigue will last until the very end. But, interestingly, the result may not affect only these guys. Islam Makhachev will watch the fight with great interest. He is going to move up to welterweight. However, he is unlikely to do so if Muhammad defeats Edwards and lifts the belt over his head.
We have compiled all the most interesting details of the upcoming tournament:
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Belal categorically denies the slightest possibility of a duel with Islam. The guys have been training together for a long time, they communicate well, that’s why they don’t want to meet in the cage: “I will never fight Makhachev, 100%. Honestly, let Islam immediately move up to middleweight and fight Dricus du Plessis. I think it will be good. Makhachev will beat du Plessis and become a double champion. Let Islam skip the welterweight division for a while and let me beat a couple of young guys. And then I myself will move up to middleweight.”
Belal Muhammad
Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images
In addition, Belal’s preparation for the fight is helped by… Khabib Nurmagomedov. He, according to Muhammad, is directly involved in the training camp. Therefore, we can safely say that Orel has practically become a member of the team. He even prepared a full analysis of the champion for the challenger. Of course, helping a friend is a big step on Khabib’s part. However, at the same time, Nurmagomedov can prevent Makhachev from moving to a new division. Orel himself never decided to take such a step in the course of his career. And now he can put an obstacle in the way of a comrade.
Belal Muhammad
UFC welterweight championship belt contender
“Being with Khabib benefits me in so many ways, both physically and mentally. Training with him and getting his advice is worth 20, 30, 40 or even 50 times more than training with anyone else. Just feeling his strength, his drive and his knowledge is priceless. Khabib explained Leon to me, gave me advice on a plan for the fight. His knowledge is limitless, to me he is the greatest fighter in the history of MMA. Khabib is like a brother to me and I can write to him anytime and ask for advice. He always answers. So his presence in my life is literally invaluable.”
Islam will definitely not move to the new division if Belal achieves his goal. Most likely, he will remain in the lightweight division and continue to defend his belt. Of course, Makhachev’s dominance there can already be considered unconditional. And if he defeats Arman Tsarukyan, he will finally put an end to all questions. However, it is not yet entirely clear whether this fight will take place in the fall. And yet, there are no longer any rivals who could offer serious resistance to Islam. Frankly, he stayed in his division for too long.
The promotion is preparing interesting tournaments for the end of the year:
The UFC promises dream fights. But half of them are at risk.
It would be very ironic if it was his friend Habib who stood in the way of Islam’s dream. But the fact is that Orel is actively preparing Belal for the battle for the belt. And, perhaps, he will become one of the main creators of success, if it happens.
