Belal Muhammad (born July 9, 1988) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who is currently competing in the UFC welterweight division. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Bellator and

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

. As of October 24, 2022, he is #4 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

Background

Muhammad was born and raised in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, to

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

parents. He has four siblings: an older brother, older sister and two younger brothers. He wrestled at

Bogan High School William J. Bogan Computer Technical High School (also known simply as Bogan High School) is a public 4–year high school located in the Ashburn neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Operated by Chicago Public Scho ...

and attended, but did not complete a degree, at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

Mixed martial arts career

Shortly after a TKO victory over Steve Carl to become the

Titan Fighting Championships Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

Welterweight Champion, and push his record to 9–0, Muhammad signed with the UFC in 2016.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On July 7, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 90, Muhammad made his UFC debut, as a short-notice replacement, against Alan Jouban. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' honors for their performances. Muhammad next faced Augusto Montaño on September 17, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 94. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Muhammad was expected to face

Lyman Good Lyman Merrill Good (born May 26, 1985), also known as "American Cyborg", is an American mixed martial artist. He is perhaps best known for his time spent with Bellator, where he was the inaugural Bellator Welterweight Champion. Good currently co ...

on November 12, 2016 at

UFC 205 ''UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In what was described by UFC president Dana White as ...

. However, on October 24, Good was pulled from the card after being notified by

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test sample collected ten days earlier. He was replaced by

Vicente Luque Vicente Luque (born November 27, 1991) is an American and Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Luque currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 3, 2022, he is #9 in the UFC ...

. Muhammad lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Muhammad was a short notice replacement and stepped in to face Randy Brown on February 11, 2017 at

UFC 208 ''UFC 208: Holm vs. de Randamie'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on February 11, 2017, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Background The event was originally scheduled to take pla ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Muhammad faced Jordan Mein on July 8, 2017 at UFC 213. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Muhammad was expected to face Jesse Taylor on November 19, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura. However, on September 13, it was announced that Taylor was pulled from the card after being notified by

of a potential doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition drug test conducted on August 22. He was replaced by

Tim Means Timothy Carl Means (born February 20, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist from Moriarty, New Mexico currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2004, ...

. Muhammad won the fight via split decision. Muhammad was expected to face Niko Price on June 1, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 131. However, Price was removed from the bout on May 22 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by promotional newcomer Chance Rencountre. Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision. Muhammad was scheduled to meet

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ...

on September 22, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 137. However, on September 14, 2018 Muhammad was pulled from the bout and he was replaced by newcomer Luigi Vendramini. Muhammad faced Geoff Neal on January 19, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 143. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Muhammad faced

Curtis Millender Curtis Marquir Millender (born December 1, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2013, Millender has formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellato ...

on April 13, 2019 at

UFC 236 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Muhammad faced Takashi Sato on September 7, 2019 at UFC 242. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. This win earned Muhammad his first '' Performance of the Night'' award. Muhammad was expected to face

on April 18, 2020 at

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

. However on April 4, Good pulled out due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

infection. The bout was rebooked and eventually took place on June 20, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Muhammad was expected to face Sean Brady on December 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 183. However in late October, Brady had a broken nose and had to pull out of their bout, and he was replaced by

Dhiego Lima Dhiego Lima (born January 31, 1989) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight division of the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Lima was born and spent his early childhood in the Brazilian city of Goiânia and b ...

. Subsequently, Muhammed was diagnosed with

during the week leading up to the event and the bout was scrapped from the card and the bout was rescheduled to February 13, 2021 at

UFC 258 ''UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision. Muhammad faced

Leon Edwards Leon Aaron Edwards (born 25 August 1991) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Welterweight Champion. A prof ...

on March 13, 2021 at

UFC Fight Night 187 ''UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 187'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 45'' and ''UFC Vegas 21'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 13, 2021 at the UF ...

. During the second round, Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye rendering him unable to continue. The fight was declared a no contest. Muhammad faced

Demian Maia Demian Maia (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional submission grappler and mixed martial artist. He competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Maia is regarded as o ...

on June 12, 2021 at

UFC 263 ''UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2021, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, United States. Background The event was the second ...

. Muhammad won the fight via unanimous decision. Muhammad faced Stephen Thompson on December 18, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Muhammad faced

in a rematch on April 16, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 34 ''UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 34'' and ''UFC Vegas 51'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 16, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Muhammad faced Sean Brady on October 22, 2022 at

UFC 280 ''UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background A UFC Lightweight Champion ...

. He won the bout via TKO stoppage at the end of the second round. UFC Hall of Famer and former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

was one of his cornermen for this fight. He received his second '' Performance of the Night'' bonus.

Personal life

Muhammad is an outspoken supporter of Palestine. He displays the Palestinian flag during his octagon entrance and post-fight results. He has denounced the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, showing support for Palestinians while also condemning any anti-Semitic responses from protesters. On June 1, 2020, businesses owned by Muhammad's father and cousins in Chicago were looted and destroyed as a result of the George Floyd unrest. He threw the ceremonial first pitch for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

on July 28, 2021. Muhammad is a Muslim.

Championships and accomplishments

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **Fifth highest decision wins per win percentage (10 decision wins / 13 wins - 76.92%) **Tied for sixth most unanimous decision wins in UFC history (9) *

Titan Fighting Championship Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

** Titan FC Welterweight Championship (One time) *'' MMAjunkie.com'' **2019 January Fight of the Month vs. Geoff Neal

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

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Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

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Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot ...

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Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José ...

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Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington. The population was 10,319 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 4,763 in 2010, making it the fastest growing city in the state of Washington. Located within the Portland metropolit ...

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Bellator 112 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

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References

External links

* * {{UFC Welterweight Rankings 1988 births M Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Mixed martial artists from Illinois Sportspeople from Chicago University of Illinois College of Law alumni American people of Palestinian descent American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American Muslims Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links