Belal Muhammad reveals he will be coached by Khabib Nurmagomedov for upcoming fight against jiu-jitsu wizard Demian Maia
Belal Muhammad recently revealed that he will be training with Khabib Nurmagomedov for his upcoming bout against Demian Maia. Hours after the annoucement of his bout against grappling wizard, Demian Maia, Muhammad took to Twitter:
Muhammad's tweet came in response to a fan's tweet hailing Demian Maia as the greatest in grappling. Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia have agreed to a welterweight matchup for UFC 263. The June 12 pay-per-view is set for an unknown location. It will be headlined by the flyweight championship rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.
Demian Maia returns to the Octagon for the first time since UFC Fight Night in March, 2020. Losing via first round TKO to Gilbert Burns, Maia had a three-fight win streak snapped. Demian Maia will be competing in his 33rd UFC bout against Belal Muhammad and currently holds a 22-10 record in the promotion.
Belal Muhammad will look to rejuvenate himself after an unfortunate no contest against Leon Edwards at UFC Vegas 21. In his first UFC main event, Belal Muhammad suffered an unintentional eye-poke from Leon Edwards in the second round that rendered him unable to continue.
Going into UFC Vegas 21, Belal Muhammad was riding a four-fight win streak and had emerged victorious in eight of his last nine outings.
Belal Muhammad is going to the new coach in town
In preparation for his bout against Demian Maia, Belal Muhammad has turned to another grappling legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to recent reports, Khabib Nurmagomedov is seeking a career as an MMA coach.
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has also revealed Khabib's interest in coaching him for a UFC return. Rockhold told TMZ:
"I kind of felt it coming, especially with Khabib reaching out to me and wanting to coach me. He's assuming this coaching role now. He's like, 'You can't be the master, you can't be the boss.''And he's like, 'I want to coach you, I want to be here.' He was going off on me wanting to coach now. 'He wants to be a big part of my comeback. It's pretty funny to see Khabib assume this role. 'He's going for the 'Coach of the Year.' That's what he wants. He wants to be the next great thing, following in his dad's footsteps."