Chimaev Has A Dig At Belal; Will They Face Off In The Future?

Khamzat Chimaev has explained why he had a dig at Belal Muhammad after his UFC 315 defeat to Jack Della Maddalena.

Belal lost his UFC Welterweight Title in his first defense via a unanimous decision. Belal had promised to throw his hands heading into the fight, but it was Maddalena who landed the stronger blows. Belal suffered a split lip, broken nose and orbital bone in his first loss since 2019. The defeat was a setback since Belal was linked with a move up to middleweight as part of his plans to become a two-weight world champion. Chimaev had no sympathy for Belal. Chimaev accused Belal of being inauthentic, as he did not hold back, for his prior comments.

Chimaev Vs. Belal

“This new Twitter age is kind of annoying. Khamzat’s one of the guys, kind of like Conor McGregor. He wants the attention, so he’ll throw out a random tweet here and there, but nothing ever comes of it, right? So, when they say that (Chimaev vs. Usman), I’m like, ‘Bro, that fight’s not happening.’ They’ll talk about it, both say something about it, and then there won’t be nothing else,” Belal said

“He call me Muslim brother then he go saying he wants to beat me so should I be nice to you?I like real people not fake, if you call my brother you should be my brother. I always support Palestine but I never support fake people,” Chimaev said

There is a narrative in place for that fight to happen later down the line. Chimaev will face UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 on August 16. Chimaev earned the title shot after submitting Robert Whittaker in the first round in his last bout. He broke Whittaker’s jaw, solidifying his position as one of the leading contenders in the division.

Du Plessis defended his belt for the second time in his last bout, beating Sean Strickland in their rematch. Belal has spoken about his desire to win a title in a second weight class. The Maddalena loss may expedite that process if he moves up instead of trying to reclaim his welterweight belt. Islam Makhachev is likely to face Maddalena next for the title. Since Islam and Belal are unlikely to fight each other next due to their close relationship, fans could see Chimaev vs. Belal later down the line if the results play out the right way.