"He has the Conor McGregor hype" - Belal Muhammad believes Khamzat Chimaev is the biggest name to defeat in the welterweight division
Belal Muhammad is scheduled to fight Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in the co-main event at UFC Vegas 45 this weekend. However, Muhammad was also recently called out by Khamzat Chimaev and even agreed to a showdown with 'Borz'.
Muhammad weighed in on Chimaev during UFC Vegas 45 media day on Wednesday. According to 'Remember the Name', the Chechen-born Swede is the biggest name in the UFC at the moment.
The 33-year-old also compared Chimaev's hype to that of Conor McGregor, arguably the biggest star the sport has ever produced. Belal Muhammad believes a win against 'Borz' could promote him to star status as he would steal all the hype.
"I'm a fighter at heart so anybody calls me out, I'm not gonna sit there and sit back. And honestly, Khamzat was one of those, where... he is the biggest name right now, the biggest star that has the most momentum. The biggest hype. He has like the Conor McGregor hype, where it's like, you beat him, you gain more by beating him than anyone else in the division. Honestly, like, where he has this stigma of a boogeyman of how he just dominated everybody. So you beat a guy like that, you are the next star. You steal all of his hype, you steal all of his momentum."
Watch Belal Muhammad's full interview at UFC Vegas 45 media day below:
Belal Muhammad's opponent also thinks highly of Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev's stock is through the roof right now and he certainly has the attention of welterweight elites. Like Belal Muhammad, his upcoming opponent Stephen Thompson also believes the hype behind 'Borz' is real.
Thompson recently appreciated Chimaev's talent and acknowledged that he is a force to be reckoned with during an interview with Full Mount MMA. When asked if he had boarded Khamzat Chimaev's hype train, Thompson said:
"I'm telling you, I'm on the train. I think he is the real deal. He has been throwing dudes, smashing guys, throwing around [Jack] Hermansson, who's known for his grappling... to be able to throw a guy like that around, you got to be skilled. So I think he is got it man."
Catch Stephen Thompson's full interview with Full Mount MMA below: