BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Belal Muhammad doesn’t have anything against short-notice fights – especially if they help him stay active and keep the paychecks rolling in.
On just a week’s notice, Muhammad (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) picked up a welterweight fight against Randy Brown (9-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC 208 after George Sullivan was removed from the card for a potential anti-doping violation. He came through with flying colors with a unanimous decision win, and in front of Brown’s home fans, no less.
UFC 208 took place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. Muhammad and Brown were the featured prelim on FS1.
Even though he didn’t get anywhere near a full training camp for Brown, Muhammad said stepping up wasn’t an issue.
“I train all year ’round no matter what, so any time they’ve got a fight, I’m happy to take a fight,” Muhammad said backstage after his win, which came with a pair of 30-27 scores and a 29-28. “I’m trying to get five or six fights this year. I just want to get the ball rolling, keep the train moving.”
Muhammad started his pro career 9-0. The Chicagoan made his first six appearances in nearby Northwest Indiana, twice fighting for Bellator when the promotion came through town, and four times for Indiana’s Hoosier Fight Club. Then he got the call to go to Titan FC, for which he won the welterweight title and got the call from the UFC.
This past summer at UFC Fight Night 90, he made his UFC debut, and despite a “Fight of the Night” bonus against Alan Jouban, he suffered his first career loss. With the win over Brown on Saturday as one of just two underdogs to win on the card, he has toggled between wins and losses in his four UFC bouts.
Could a drop from welterweight to lightweight help give him a size advantage and put together a winning streak easier than he might be able to have one at welterweight? Maybe, but don’t count on Muhammad deciding to go to 155 pounds.
“I don’t want to kill myself cutting weight,” he said. “I’d rather go into the fight healthy and not have to kill myself for six weeks and then lose the fight before the fight. I’d rather go in there healthy and happy. I just want to go in there and be healthy, for the most part.”
Happy is what he was after UFC 208. And he said despite the short notice, his friends and family traveled well to support him – and that made him happy, too, during the fight.
“It was crazy – I was still able to get 20 or 30 people to fly down with me,” he said. “I have a lot of people that support me and they’re the ones that make me stronger. Just to hear the crowd screaming my name in his home town, it felt good.”
For more from Muhammad following his win over Brown, check out the video above.
And for complete coverage of UFC 208, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
view original article >>