Belal Muhammad is still waiting on his title shot.
Unbeaten in his last 10 fights, it is quite a mystery on why the #2 UFC Welterweight contender hasn't found himself in a championship fight yet.
Muhammad was thought to be next in line for Leon Edwards after defeating Gilbert Burns on short notice as well as several other top contenders.
However, it seems as though Muhammad wasn't even the top choice to compete for welterweight gold next. UFC CEO Dana White said defending champ Edwards was offered three different fights at UFC 300, with each opponent saying no.
'Remember The Name' has confirmed he wasn't one of them, but he won't let that get him down.
"No, I was never offered that for [UFC] 300," Muhammad said on The Schmozone (h/t: Championship Rounds). "But honestly, when I look at it, I try to take a positive with everything. So, what does that tell me is that three guys turned it down. So three other guys just turned it down and if they really wanted Leon Edwards on 300, they know the guy who would've said, yeah, and it would've been me.
"So, I don't really think they really cared about Leon. For myself now it's like, okay, well those three guys just turned it down. So if you are gonna rebook Leon for a title fight soon, I wouldn't go to the three guys that just said no. I would go to the guy that continues to say yes and never said no, ever. So, I'm looking at the positive light of this whole thing."
The three fighters that were offered to Edwards are rumored to be Shavkat Rakmonov, Khamzat Chimaev, and current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
With Edwards left without a dance partner at UFC 300, Muhammad remains optimistic that he squares off for the title next, wherever and whenever that may be.
"I think they know as well as I do that there's nobody else for me to fight, but Leon and the title fights," Muhammad added. "There's nothing that makes sense. I still have the video of Dana saying, 'you're next' and a hundred percent that I was fighting for the title next guaranteed. So, I'm just gonna take him at his word and Leon's not booked. That tells me that's still available and I think that it's gonna work itself out."
Belal Muhammad was beaten to a title shot by three-time title challenger Colby Covington as the American fought and lost to Leon Edwards at UFC 296. We'll have to wait and see if the streaking 35-year-old is next in line.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
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