UFC welterweight lauds Belal Muhammad's "unbelievable" performance against Leon Edwards, praises new champ's "gas tank"
A former welterweight title challenger is impressed with Belal Muhammad's dominant win over Leon Edwards in their UFC 304 title fight.
During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping's Believe You Me podcast, Stephen Thompson praised the reigning welterweight champion for his insane conditioning displayed in the bout.
Muhammad had to take the long route to the title, racking up a 10-fight undefeated streak before landing his maiden title shot in the promotion. At UFC 304, he thoroughly outworked 'Rocky' en route to a convincing decision win.
During the podcast, 'Wonderboy' credited Muhammad for enduring an arduous journey to the title:
"Man, the guy has put in so much work. He was, I think, on a 10-fight win streak before he even got the chance to get the title. He has beat me, he has beat a lot of other guys. I'm happy for the guy. I'm glad that he is the champion... It was unbelievable, for one, to be able to beat some one like Leon Edwards who went almost 10 rounds with Kamaru Usman, who beat Colby Covington."
Thompson was especially impressed with the insane pace 'Remember the Name' maintained throughout the fight. 'Wonderboy' is convinced he has never seen a fighter with a better gas tank than Muhammad. He added:
"I have never seen cardio or a gas tank on anybody like I did [on] Belal Muhammad that night. Leon Edwards, he tired like a normal athlete. But, freakin Belal Muhammad was just as fresh in the fifth as he was in the first. It was wild and you could see the fatigue in Leon. But, hats off to him man."
Catch Stephen Thompson's comments below (7:06):
Belal Muhammad on his first title defense
Belal Muhammad believes there is no definite No.1 contender in the welterweight division presently. For separate reasons, he views either Kamaru Usman or Shavkat Rakhmonov as his potential next opponent.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, the 36-year-old laid out why Usman and Rakhmonov are exciting matchups, saying:
"Obviously, Shavkhat is the boogeyman that think could beat everybody, but I also like a back and forth of talking too, with that Usman and those fights are more exciting too just because it gives me something to make him shut up about."
Catch Belal Muhammad's comments about potential opponents for his first title defense below:
Usman, the former pound-for-pound king, is on a three-fight losing skid, having lost twice to Leon Edwards before falling short against Khamzat Chimaev. Meanwhile, Rakhmonov boasts a perfect 18-0 record and a 100% finish rate.