Morning Report: Belal Muhammad considered retirement with loss at UFC 304: ‘It was so hard to get there’

Belal Muhammad has plenty left in the tank as his UFC welterweight title reign begins.

Earning UFC title shots isn’t what it used to be like in the days when an eight-fight winning streak was essentially a guaranteed title shot. It was a common response when asking UFC CEO Dana White, anyway. Even with name value like in the cases of Max Holloway or Tony Ferguson, they needed more before undisputed championship fights.

Muhammad, 36, was a unique case where his lengthy winning streak was separated by a no-contest against Leon Edwards in March 2021. Regardless, he still went unbeaten in 10 fights before he captured gold in his Edwards rematch by unanimous decision at UFC 304 last month. Had “Remember the Name” come up short, however, that could have been his last MMA fight.

“It was to the point in my head where I was looking at it like, if I lost, there’s a chance that I’m just like, bro, I’m hanging ‘em up because I’m not gonna get another shot at it,” Muhammad said on The Fighter & The Kid.

“It was so hard to get there. I’m begging you guys to make a video for me to hype me up and get a shot there. I hate asking people for anything but I’m just like, bro, I need — I’m so desperate to do whatever it takes to get this shot that I’ll try anything.”

Muhammad’s performance against Edwards was majorly one-sided as he utilized his strong blend of pressure striking and grappling to disrupt “Rocky.” What should have been the highest pressure situation for him was actually Muhammad’s most relaxed simply by being under the bright lights in the early Manchester, England hours.

“I just felt so calm fight week and I just felt chill because the hardest thing for me to do was to get the fight,” Muhammad said. “That was the stressful part is — the Gilbert Burns fight, I’m so like, ‘Man, why would I take this fight on three weeks’ notice to fight this guy?’ I risked it all on three weeks’ notice.

“Now, after I got the fight with Leon, it was like a huge sense of relief. We’re here now. There’s nothing else to fear. I got what I’ve been working for and now we’re free so we can just let loose in the cage. I was just so happy to be backstage. I was happy to walk out. Even in the cage, I was wanting to smile because they said we wouldn’t get it. We got it and we’re here now. The freedom just made me fight the best I’ve ever fought.”

Although the first fight has an asterisk on it, there hasn’t been any indication that a Muhammad vs. Edwards trilogy after the title rematch. White and Muhammad both like the sound of an Edwards vs. Ian Machado Garry matchup.

What about the champion’s first title defense?

Two names have been at the forefront of conversation in the welterweight division and bantered back-and-forth with the outgoing Chicago native. First, there’s the undefeated 18-0 super-contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who has been coined a future champion since arriving in the octagon. Option two is more of a wildcard in the form of former champion Kamaru Usman. Meritocratically, this shouldn’t even be a question as Usman has lost his last three fights dating back to his final title defense against Colby Covington in November 2021.

Ultimately, Muhammad compares the current line of contenders to where he was before he claimed gold and doesn’t see a clear standout. He just wants to return for his first defense in December.

“If I’m looking at it right now, Shavkat and Usman, they’re both from the same gym,” Muhammad said. “Usman has the legacy, right? He was the guy Dana White said is better than ‘GSP’ [Georges St-Pierre] so I’m like you’re both from the same gym, flip a coin, and let’s see which one of you guys want to come out and fight me.

“Nobody really deserves a title shot, right? So, I’m willing to fight any one of them. When Leon won the title, I was the clear next in line. Shavkat is [18-0] but it’s still like you didn’t have to go through the ladder that I had to go through. So, it’s not like, ‘Man, he 100 percent deserves it right away.’ I think name-wise, Usman has the biggest name in the division. Shavkat probably has the biggest aura about him.”

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Delay. Dana White announces Conor McGregor will not fight in 2024; McGregor responds

Nope. Dana White vehemently shuts down any chance of Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira

Contracts. DWCS Results: Season 8, Week 1

Grudge. Daniel Cormier expects a highly motivated Israel Adesanya at UFC 305: ‘He don’t want to lose to Dricus’ du Plessis

Noche. Dana White reveals first details of UFC 306 production plans for Sphere event

Battle. Sean O’Malley aims to steal headlines from Canelo Alvarez with ‘viral knockout’ at UFC 306

Patience. Sean Strickland’s head coach ‘wholeheartedly’ agrees with waiting for UFC middleweight title shot

Support. Zhilei Zhang believes Alex Pereira can win UFC heavyweight title: ‘He has the power’

Update. Joilton Lutterbach gets 2-year ban for failed drug test, UFC contract terminated

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Dana White Post-Contender Series Scrum.

Embedded 2.

Lookin’ For A Fight.

Classic Walk-Off KOs.

Stylebender fight camp.

RIZIN Confessions 158.

PFL Fight Week.

C3 on 305.

The War Room: du Plessis vs. Adesanya.

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Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

This month’s full playlist:

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Finishing sequence.

Plus crossover.

Birthday champ.

Memories.

Advice…

Welcome to the UFC.

Normal.

Goodnight.

Beatdown.

We love smashing elbows around here.

Champ life.

Just a little swim.

Kevin.

Gear.

Autographs.

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I didn’t know Kevin Lee became a comedian since his last fight.

Thanks for reading!

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