In a candid assessment shared on his YouTube channel, UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad has vehemently refuted any notion that Umar Nurmagomedov benefits from preferential treatment within the promotion. Muhammad’s remarks come in the wake of Nurmagomedov’s impressive resurgence following a tough title loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. Nurmagomedov, now 20-1 in his professional MMA career and 7-1 under the UFC banner, is set to headline UFC Fight Night 286 on Saturday against the formidable Song Yadong. The event will emanate from the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China and will be available for streaming on Paramount+.
Muhammad, known for his insightful fight breakdowns, believes the narrative surrounding Nurmagomedov’s supposed privilege is entirely unfounded, pointing directly to the caliber of opponents he has faced. "I think this one’s going to be great," Muhammad stated on his YouTube channel, setting the stage for the upcoming bantamweight clash. "Both these guys have so much talent and that 135-pound division, all them guys are hungry. Everybody wants the shot at the champ, and I feel like they’re all willing to fight each other. I know people will say what they want about Umar, like, ‘Oh, he’s given this, given that.’"
To counter these perceptions, Muhammad meticulously detailed Nurmagomedov’s recent resume. "Look who he’s fighting," he urged. "He fought Mario Bautista, had to beat Mario. Fought Deiveson Figueiredo, former champ. Went neck-and-neck with Merab. They’re not giving him no layups. And now to fight Song Yadong in China, he’s willing to fight anybody. You can just tell he just wants to be the best in the world, and prove that he’s the best in the world." This emphasis on Nurmagomedov’s willingness to face any challenge, regardless of its perceived difficulty or promotional leverage, underscores Muhammad’s argument against any notion of special treatment.
Transitioning into his tactical analysis, Muhammad provided a comprehensive breakdown of how both Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong could secure victory in their highly anticipated main event. He began with Nurmagomedov, outlining a strategy that emphasizes early dominance and a sustained wrestling threat. "Keys to victory for Umar, I think you’ve got to make him wrestle early, especially early," Muhammad advised. "It’s a five-round fight. I think you keep him at kicking range. You have beautiful setups with your kicks, push kick, that lead-question mark kick, side kick. You can’t stand in front of him and go blow-for-blow. This can’t be a pocket boxing. I think setting it up, even just high kick, test shot, a lot of fainting to another shot, getting into the fence, weigh around him a little bit, think about the takedown. Even if it’s not there, we’ve seen him against (Cory) Sandhagen, where Sandhagen landed a clean elbow off of one of his clinches, one of his missed takedowns, and it cut him, and the fight got ended from there."
Muhammad elaborated on the importance of establishing the takedown threat early in the fight. "So for Umar, establish a takedown early, establish a takedown threat early, make him think about them," he explained. "Then when it gets to the third and fourth, it’ll go from fainting the takedown, to the punches, to the kicks, and it’ll just get him thinking. It’ll get him reacting. And then when you’re going from making him think about the takedown, now you’re attacking with punches, now you’re back to the takedown, it’s going to take two or three takedowns. Don’t give up after your first takedown attempt. You’re very good at chaining wrestling together. Do that, and then when you get him down, hold him down."
He also touched upon Nurmagomedov’s offensive capabilities once he secures a dominant position. "Sometimes he’ll jump guillotine," Muhammad noted. "We’ve seen him catch Figueiredo with it. You’re very good at defending submissions, but that puts him in a bad spot. That puts him going full guard. And then if he gives up full guard and he gives up staying on his back, make him pay for it. Hit him with some good ground-and-pound. We need a little bit more activity when you’re on the bottom. You’re very good at holding and keeping him down there, but give me some ground-and-pound there, too." This suggests that while Nurmagomedov’s wrestling is a primary weapon, his ground-and-pound could be an area for further development, adding another layer to Muhammad’s nuanced analysis.
Shifting his focus to Song Yadong, the former UFC welterweight champion advised the Chinese striker to adopt an aggressive, center-controlling approach and to capitalize on any defensive lapses from Nurmagomedov. "For Song Yadong, I think you’ve got to take the center," Muhammad stated. "You can’t be on the outside to the cage because if he pushes you to the cage, that’s going to wear on you. You got to keep it at boxing range, watching those kicks. And then if you defend the takedown, you got to make him pay for it. You got to attack him right away off of a missed takedown. Can’t stand there and defend it and think of that as a victory. If you defend it, attack, re-attack."
Muhammad further elaborated on specific offensive strategies for both fighters, highlighting potential weaknesses and areas of strength. "Oh, also for Umar, I was going to say attack Song’s lead leg," he added. "He’s very heavy on his lead leg because he’s a boxer, powerful hands, attacking that calf kick, that low kick, and like I said, mixing it up to the question mark kick." He then circled back to Song’s offensive game plan. "For Song, I think you got to get Umar going backwards. He’s good at kicking backwards as well, but you don’t want to chase him. You want to feint and use your jab to get him going backwards, because if you start chasing him, he’s very good at reaction takedowns. So don’t overextend on any of your punches." This intricate dance of feints, jabs, and strategic movement is crucial for Song to avoid Nurmagomedov’s opportunistic takedowns.
Ultimately, Belal Muhammad’s prediction for the main event leans towards Umar Nurmagomedov’s superior all-around skillset. "My pick, I think I’m going with Umar," Muhammad concluded. "I think he’s just getting better and better every single fight. Like I said, he’s going against the best guys in the division, and I think he’s very smart. He’s going to mix in his takedowns. He’s going to use his kicks, use his high kicks. I think he’s going to frustrate Song a little bit, and he does get frustrated. He’ll show it a little bit out there, and I think that Umar’s going to get himself a win." Muhammad’s analysis paints a picture of a highly skilled and intelligent fighter in Nurmagomedov, one who is not being gifted opportunities but rather earning them through a relentless pursuit of victory against the division’s elite. His argument that Nurmagomedov’s recent opponents prove he’s not receiving any "layups" from the UFC is a strong rebuttal to any lingering doubts about his standing within the organization.
