Belal Muhammad has not lost confidence after losing his UFC title.
Earlier this year, “The Bully” was defeated by Jack Della Maddalena in a fight that took place primarily on the feet. Muhammad tried to show his “Canelo Hands,” the best boxing in the welterweight division, according to the man himself, and ended up extremely bloody at the end of the fight as a result. Now, Muhammad tried to wrestle in that contest, but many fans and analysts believe he should have focused more on the takedown from the first bell. After the domination of Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della at UFC 322, there is only more evidence available that Muhammad should have fought hard early in the fight.
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This weekend (Sat., Nov. 22, 2025), Muhammad will return to action at UFC Qatar in the co-main event against Ian Machado Garry, a long, lanky kickboxer who has so far proven to be a very tough nut to crack on the feet. The widespread assumption is once again that Muhammad’s best chance is to go for the takedown, and for the second time, Muhammad promises that he will outwork the striker.
“Honestly, for me, I think Ian is going to try to run this whole first round,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “But then at the end of the first round, his little one-time punches aren’t going to work. So I’m going to grab him, take him down, then let him get back up, just because I’m going to show him, ‘I can take you down if I want.’ Then I’m going to outbox him because he said he could outpunch me.
“He’s a nice forward. He’s been there with great forwards. He’s been there with MVP, he’s been there with Shavkat, he’s been there with Prates, and none of those guys finished him off. So for me, it’s finishing him on his feet and reminding everyone who I am.”
Muhammad finds himself in a difficult position ahead of UFC Qatar. Not only did he lose miserably to the man who was mistreated by Makhachev, but Muhammad and Islam are teammates who previously weren’t all that interested in fighting each other. Worse yet, the welterweight division is full of young contenders right now, so Muhammad is now just one of many faces looking for a shot at gold.
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It’s risky, but at 37 years old, Muhammad may need to make good on his pre-fight promise and knock out Garry to significantly improve his standing at 170 pounds. Alternatively, he could live up to his previous threat to jump to middleweight and challenge Dricus Du Plessis, another recently dethroned champion eager to get back into the hunt. There’s also that unfinished podcast with Kamaru Usman, but “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been ignoring Muhammad lately.