Belal Muhammad has gained a bunch of new fans since winning the UFC welterweight belt. However, he worries those new fans could actually be a detriment if he lets them get to his head.
Muhammad won the UFC welterweight title last year, when he thumped England’s Leon Edwards to a lopsided decision win on enemy turf. It was the Palestinian-American’s 10th win in a row. That streak that also includes victories over top contenders like Sean Brady, Gilbert Burns and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
With the belt now wrapped around his waist, Muhammad is clearly one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC. However, he has not always been a hit among fans. That’s due primarily to the conspicuous lack of finishes on his resume.
That has changed slightly since he beat Edwards, and while he’s surely grateful for the love, he recently admitted that he prefers to be doubted by MMA fans, as it drives him to prove people wrong.
“I’m like bro, go back, get away from me, I don’t want the fans,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “I want the doubters, I want the people to tell me I’m going to lose because it just makes me work that much harder. But that’s why I have the circle around me, the teammates around me that keep me level-headed. There is no easy fight in this game, there is no easy win, as people will say it or the fans will say it.”
