Belal Muhammad’s Bizarre 'Epstein Files' Comment Has Everyone Confused

In the wild world of UFC press conferences, we’ve heard some truly unhinged things. Fighters have threatened each other’s families, thrown water bottles, and started brawls. But Belal Muhammad just dropped a line so bizarre, so out of left field, that it left the entire MMA community scratching its collective head. He compared his training camp to the Jeffrey Epstein files. Yes, you read that correctly.

Leading up to his UFC Qatar fight against Ian Machado Garry, the 37-year-old Muhammad was asked about keeping up with the younger, hungrier talent in the welterweight division. Instead of giving a standard, “I feel great, age is just a number” type of answer, he decided to take a sharp turn into WTF territory.

“My future is bright,” Muhammad began, innocently enough. “I’m training with young monsters.” He mentioned training with guys like 28-year-old Ignacio Bahamondes and even his 17-year-old brother. This is where things went completely off the rails. “It feels like the Epstein files without the s*x. Right? I’m getting their powers through sparring and training. So it feels good.”

Let’s all just pause for a moment and let that sink in. Of all the possible analogies in the entire universe, Belal Muhammad landed on one of the most infamous and disturbing criminal cases of the 21st century to describe his sparring sessions. It’s a comparison so baffling it’s almost impressive in its sheer absurdity.

Muhammad’s Strange Justification

It’s hard to even dissect what was going through Muhammad’s head here. Was he trying to be edgy? Was it a horribly misguided attempt at a joke? The delivery was so casual, so matter-of-fact, that it made the whole thing even weirder. He seemed to think it was a perfectly normal, relatable thing to say.

He continued, seemingly unaware of the bomb he just dropped, “I love training every day with these guys. I’m learning so much from these guys. I’m growing so much from these guys. The energy they bring, it makes me feel younger.”

The comment is a masterclass in how not to do media. It’s a reference that lands with the grace of a rhino on a tightrope. It didn’t make him sound tough or clever; it just made everyone incredibly uncomfortable. In an attempt to explain how he’s staying young and relevant by training with younger fighters, he associated himself with a case synonymous with the exploitation of young people. The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Does Muhammad’s “Bright Future” Include a Title Shot?

Putting aside the spectacularly poor choice of words, the context of Muhammad’s comment is his fight against Ian Machado Garry and his place in the welterweight division. After losing his title shot against Jack Della Maddalena, a win against the surging Garry is crucial for Muhammad to stay in the championship picture.

However, not everyone is convinced a victory will get him there. Former welterweight king Kamaru Usman weighed in, expressing doubt that either fighter would earn a title shot with a win. Usman pointed out that Garry recently lost to Shavkat Rakhmonov, and he questioned Muhammad’s own past reluctance to challenge his training partner, the current champion Islam Makhachev.

“Now you want to challenge the man you didn’t want to challenge… for the title?” Usman pondered on his podcast. “It’s a tough one, but I might have to lean toward Garry.”

Perhaps Muhammad was feeling the pressure. Maybe he was trying to create a viral moment to build hype. If so, mission accomplished, I guess? But it’s a “be careful what you wish for” situation. He’s certainly got people talking, but not about his skills or his chances in the fight. They’re talking about his bizarre, cringe-inducing comparison that will likely follow him for a while. In the fight for attention, Belal Muhammad scored a knockout, but it might have been on himself.