"He disrespected Palestine" - Belal Muhammad's feud with Sean Strickland turns political
Belal Muhammad's war of words with Sean Strickland appears to have turned political.
Born to Palestinian parents, Belal Muhammad has been incredibly vocal in his support for Palestine. On that note, Strickland's comments about Palestine did not sit well with the welterweight. Addressing the 30-year-old's Twitter post, Muhammad wrote:
"He disrespected Palestine so I wouldn't miss disrespecting his face."
@BestFightPicks He disrespected Palestine so I wouldn’t miss disrespecting his face
Sean Strickland's opponent, Luke Rockhold, pulled out of their middleweight bout set for UFC 268 on November 6. Belal Muhammad offered to step in as a replacement fighter, although this would mean that he'd have to move up a division.
Muhammad referred to Strickland as a 'piece of trash' and suggested that he was willing to fight the middleweight despite the size difference. Meanwhile, Strickland took a jibe at Muhammad for his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Read Sean Strickland's post about Belal Muhammad and Palestine below:
Is a Sean Strickland vs. Belal Muhammad matchup on the cards for UFC 268?
Following Luke Rockhold's withdrawal from UFC 268, the promotion has been looking for someone to face Sean Strickland at the pay-per-view.
Out of the fighters who can fill the role, Belal Muhammad has been the most assertive. He said he wants to fight Strickland but claims that 'Tarzan' wants no part of him.
In a recent Instagram video, Belal Muhammad explained:
“After his last fight, ‘Oh, man, I’m a bad boy. I want to kill somebody in the cage. I want to be the first person to murder somebody…I don’t care about titles. I’m an airhead. I’m a moron.’ Now it’s, ‘Oh, I only want to fight ranked guys that are above me, that are going to get me closer to the title shot. And if it’s possible, can I fight in my home town?’ I know you have that fake persona. You’re soft.”
Check out Muhammad's video below:
In response, Sean Strickland fired off more jibes at Muhammad via social media.
Check out Strickland's video below:
The UFC has not yet confirmed a Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Strickland matchup. Whether they’re booked to fight at UFC 268 is likely to unravel in the days to come.