'Chimaev has the McGregor attitude about him' - Belal Muhammad explains why Khamzat Chimaev may 'skip the line' over Leon Edwards for a title shot if he beats Gilbert Burns
Khamzat Chimaev, with his consistently impressive performances, has set the UFC's welterweight division ablaze. What's more, the hype that he has built around himself is something that will bolster his crusade for a shot at divisional gold before Leon Edwards, or so Belal Muhammad would have fans believe.
Highlighting the importance of being an entertainer and selling pay-per-views in today's day and age, Belal Muhammad revealed why Khamzat Chimaev could leapfrog Leon Edwards for a shot at the welterweight title.
While in conversation with Jim Norton and Bobby Kelly on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Belal Muhammad broke down the line of progression in the welterweight division.
Although he was reluctant to take anything away from Leon Edwards' in-ring skills, Muhammad opined that Edwards had to maintain his relevance outside the ring as well. Something that he believes Khamzat Chimaev is comparatively better at.
"The game's all about hype. It's all about who's going to sell at that moment. And I feel like they were trying to build Leon up a little bit. Because he's not as active on social media, he doesn't like to talk. If this guy, who's the next biggest star in Chimaev has that kind of McGregor attitude about him where people are trying to see what's next with this guy," admitted Belal Muhammad.
Catch the entire segment of UFC Unfiltered with Belal Muhammad right here:
Title shot for Khamzat Chimaev after Gilbert Burns: Belal Muhammad
Reports suggest that the UFC is looking to set up a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns. The fight could take place as early as January 2022.
In light of these developments, Belal Muhammad asserted that Khamzat Chimaev could be pushed for a shot at the title over Leon Edwards should he overcome the challenge presented by Gilbert Burns.
"If (Khamzat Chimaev) gets one more win, they're going to try to push him to that title fight. Especially if they're going to give it to a guy like Gilbert Burns, which I think is a great matchup. But if he ends up winning that fight, there's no way they're not going to let him skip the line in front of Leon," declared Belal Muhammad.
Gilbert Burns, for one, is not one to back down from a fight against Khamzat Chimaev. He revealed as much in a recent sit-down with MMA Junkie. Should the UFC decide to set up a fight between the two, it would be an event that fans would hate to miss.