"That's not stepping up" - Belal Muhammad gets brutally honest about Nate Diaz throwing a bottle at Islam Makhachev in recent confrontation
Belal Muhammad offered up his thoughts on the viral video of Islam Makhachev and Nate Diaz being involved in some hurling of water bottles. The altercation between Team Makhachev and Diaz transpired backstage after the UFC 311 press conference.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz have long had a rivalry with the temperament between the Dagestan and Stockton factions still not being good clearly. The skirmish with reigning UFC lightweight champion Makhachev and former UFC lightweight title challenger Diaz caught the attention of many, and the UFC's welterweight champion was asked about the incident.
Speaking with Clocked N' Loaded at Power Slap 10 regarding the clip of Nate Diaz throwing a water bottle at Islam Makhachev, Belal Muhammad said,
"I mean Nate's gonna Nate, right? But when you step up to one of the guys then you see what's real. Show me what's real. If you step up to his face and you want to act tough that way, but if you're throwing water bottles... That's not stepping up. I can throw a water bottle over there, it's like it's not stepping up. I'm right here in your face. That's stepping up."
Check out Muhammad's thoughts on the Diaz-Makhachev altercation below:
Belal Muhammad and his thoughts on Shavkat Rakhmonov post-UFC 310
Belal Muhammad has his next in-cage assignment in his crosshairs and seems quite confident after watching his opponent's last performance. Shavkat Rakhmonov earned a victory on points over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 but did not exactly wow many with his performance over the short-notice replacement.
Machado Garry actually replaced Muhammad himself who was supposed to defend his strap against Rakhmonov before a bone infection pulled the 170-pound titleholder out of the card.
The 36-year-old was front row for the Rakhmonov versus Machado Garry fight and spoke with ESPN about his confidence after watching their contest. Belal Muhammad stated how going in, he felt like he could defeat either fighter regardless of who emerged victorious.
After watching the 25-minute battle play out, though, 'Remember the Name' said he now feels like he would walk through Rakhmonov. Muhammad mentioned how he feels like he's better than the unbeaten soon-to-be title challenger in all facets of the game.
The Chicago native mentioned how he noticed Shavkat Rakhmonov was resting a fair bit in the fight holding an over-under position. He pointedly quipped about how those moments against Ian Machado Garry would not be afforded to Rakhmonov when he fights him at an as-of-yet undetermined location and date.
The perception that Belal Muhammad should be the favorite over Shavkat Rakhmonov whenever they throw down is not an opinion that is solely shared by the kingpin of the UFC welterweight division.