What’s Next For Belal Muhammad?

Belal Muhammad lost to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in a defense of his UFC Welterweight Title, raising questions about his next steps.

Belal failed in the first defense of his belt, which he had acquired after defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He will now have to consider his next bout, as we take a look at who he could face. Belal had spoken about his desire to become a two-weight champion. Naturally, he has been linked with a move up to middleweight against the current champion Dricus Du Plessis.

Du Plessis defended his middleweight title after beating Sean Strickland in his last bout. Du Plessis has claimed that a deal has been agreed with Khamzat Chimaev for his next fight, meaning that the outcome of that bout could potentially decide where Belal goes next. However, his loss may not guarantee that fight. 

Options

Alternatively, Belal could stay at the weight class. Before Jack took the fight, he was linked with a bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Shavkat is one of the leading contenders in the welterweight division, with a 7-0 undefeated record. However, Rakhmonov had to pull out of the fight after suffering an injury, meaning Jack got his shot. This is now an even riskier fight if Belal desires to stay in contention for a world title bout. 

Belal has also previously been linked with the Makhachev fight. However, the chances of it happening are slim, given that they are very close friends. They have also trained together as Khabib Nurmagomedov is against that fight happening. Islam is desperate to secure a belt in a second weight class. Islam will now likely face Jack for the belt, with Belal frozen out further.

Equally, there is an opportunity to potentially face off against Kamaru Usman. Usman has not had a UFC fight since losing to Chimaev at UFC 294 in 2023. He is scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley in his next bout in June. The outcome of that fight could determine whether Usman gets into the Octagon against Belal.

The biggest contender in the divison is Sean Brady. Sean is ranked number one in the rankings. He is on a three-fight win streak, having submitted Edwards in his last fight. Brady became the first person to stop Edwards, showing the magnitude of that win. He went further than Belal, who had beaten Leon by a unanimous decision. Belal has plenty to consider moving forward.