Neil Magny calls out Belal Muhammad for August matchup, Muhammed responds
Top-ranked UFC welterweights Neil Magny and Belal Muhammad appear to have verbally agreed to a fight for August. Both men are coming off impressive wins and will no doubt hope a win over the other will see them reach the top five of the 170lb division.
It was Magny who initally called out Muhammad, posting a tweet which stated the following:
"Belal, I'm definitely willing and available in August, I am ready to fight you in any weekend in August."
"Sooooo @ufc @bullyb170. Are we doing this or no?"
Muhammad was quick to respond, however. Less than thirty minutes had passed when Muhammad posted:
"He wants it I want it let’s do it @ufc @aliabdelaziz000."
Neil Magny vs. Belal Muhammad
A matchup between Neil Magny and Belal Muhammad makes perfect sense, and the UFC would be foolish not to capitalize on the 170lb stars' willingness to face each other.
Neil Magny is currently 1-1 in 2021. He came up short against the now fifth-ranked Michael Chiesa in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in January. However, he was able to bounce back in emphatic fashion. Magny defeated Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 26, putting on a three-round clinic to defeat 'Handz of Steel' via unanimous decision.
Belal Muhammad already has two wins under his belt in 2021, as well as a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. He began the year by comfortably outclassing Dhiego Lima in what was a solid, if not spectacular, performance. He then stepped up on short notice to fight Leon Edwards where the aforementioned eye poke occurred, stopping the fight early.
Muhammad was back a month later, competing against Demian Maia at UFC 263. Once again, Muhammad put on an intelligent performance to win, though few were left calling for Fight of the Night honors.
These fights leave Neil Magny ranked eighth, while Belal Muhammad sits just behind him at tenth. If either Magny or Muhammad put on a spectacular performance, they could potentially put themselves within touching distance of the top five, or maybe even into the mix.