UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that Belal Muhammad is the best in one specific aspect of MMA.
UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad has not yet made a deficiency defense, but Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that he is the best in MMA in one facet.
Muhammad will come across the UFC-Unbeaten Jack della Maddalena in the UFC 315 Main Event next month in Montreal. He returns for the first time to the Octagon as UFC champion, after the exhausting of Leon Edwards for the belt last July.
Muhammad was overlooked by most fans, experts and fellow hunters while making his climb the ladder of Welterweight. But Nurmagomedov immediately saw his potential when Muhammad joined his team at UFC 304.
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
Khabib Nurmagomedov highlights the characteristic of Belal Muhammad as the best in UFC
Since his combat pension in 2020, Nurmagomedov has accompanied some of the best hunters in the world, including UFC Pound-For-Pound King Islam Makhachev and PFL title holder Ushman Nurmagomedov. But according to Nurmagomedov, Muhammad is far above the rest of his team and the sport in general in a specific way.
During a recent interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov Muhammad covered huge praise for his first title defense.
“I believe it will be very difficult to defeat Belal,” Nurmagomedov said about Mohammed. “If Maddalena or Savkat (Rakhmonov) does not finish him early, Belal will continue to press. His endurance is really good. In fact, I think it is the most underrated aspect in MMA today.
“Belal's cardio is certainly the best in this division, and maybe even in the entire UFC.” (H/T MMA Junkie)
Muhammad showed his cardio in his recent title victory on Edwards and surpasses the then-cone welterweight title holder in all facets of the fight. Despite a late threat from Edwards, Mohammed had enough energy in the final minutes to resist the barrage of his enemy.
Nurmagomedov's comments are striking, given the status of Makhachev as the pound-for-pound best hunter of the UFC. But for Nurmagomedov does not compare his old friend and protege Makhachev to Mohammed when it comes to conditioning and endurance.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is not a fan of Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria
Nurmagomedov has played a crucial role in the climb of Makhachev to the top of MMA, but is not a fan of Makhachev against Ilia Topuria for his next title defense. Topuria chose to make the movement of featherweight after switching off Max Holloway on UFC 308.
After leaving the belt of featherweight, Topuria was assuming that he would get an immediate title shot on lightweight for his return. But while the UFC appears on board with the matchup, Nurmagomedov and Makhachev are not sold to give Topuria the next shot in the belt.
Nurmagomedov believes that Arman Tsarukyan, and not Topuria, is the 'most competitive' challenge for the title line of Makhachev. Tsarukyan and Makhachev previously fought in their UFC career, where Makhachev obtained a decision victory.