“You’re Not From Dagestan, They Owe You Nothing”: Fans Warn as Islam Makhachev’s Double UFC Champ Plans Haunt Belal Muhammad

UFC welterweight king Belal Muhammad was supposed to defend his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. Unfortunately, a bone injection left ‘Bully B’ hospitalized for six weeks and the fight fell apart, but Ian Garry stepped up on short notice to replace the champion. However, Muhammad is now back in action again and already sparring in his fight camp. He is training with the best!

Taking to his Instagram, he uploaded pictures of himself where we can see him engaging with other skilled fighters such as current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and UFC bantamweight challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in his training camp. So we know that ‘Remember the Name’ is learning it all under the tutelage of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Thanking them for the intense training, the 36-year-old wrote “Blessed to learn from the best 2 weeks till victory inshallah.” He also posted pictures where he could be seen posing with Nurmagomedov, Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Ali Abdelaziz. But here’s the thing:

Belal Muhammad is committed to defending his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov. In fact, the desire to avoid the momentary postponement of his first UFC title defense narrowly prevented Belal Muhammad from resorting to drastic measures. In an interview with ‘MMA Junkie’ in December, the 36-year-old stated he even considered amputating one toe on his left foot to compete on the main card of UFC 310!

He said, “It got to the point where I was like, ‘Bro, what if you got rid of the toe?’ What do I need to do to get back in there as quickly as possible? But the way the doctor was saying it, it was like a bone infection.” However, there is one problem.

Muhammad may be training with Islam Makhachev, but the latter’s welterweight aspirations are no secret. For instance, back in June 2024, he shared, “This is my dream. I want to be in the history and people know me like double champ. This is my dream. If I have chance, a small chance, I will get. If you want a great legacy, you have to get second belt. It’s my opinion.”

Islam Makhachev made these statements before Muhammad became the champion. It is known that the Dagestani’s don’t fight each other and have great respect for their Muslim brothers. While Muhammad is a Muslim and is managed by Ali Abdelaziz, he isn’t a Dagestani.

Top Comment by Donyjen

He got where he is with the help from them but same time they know his weaknesses if they fight...more

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Many fans felt that Makhachev wouldn’t hesitate to fight Muhammad if he really aspires to move to welterweight and become a double champion. After all, he would achieve something that his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was criticized for as he never moved divisions.

Fans wonder if Belal Muhammad is training with the wrong people…

As soon as Belal Muhammad uploaded the post on his Instagram, fans asked questions pertaining to his involvement with the Dagestani fight camp despite being a Palestinian-American. Even if he wished to do so, why did Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and other fighters accept to train alongside him? Well, fans claimed to know the answer. They mentioned:

• “Lmao, Islam is just studying Belal for when he gets ready to move up. You’re not from Dagestan; they owe you nothing.”
• “You know for a fact Islam will fight Belal for double champ status.”

In October 2024, Dana White stated that he would “absolutely” give Makhachev the chance to move to welterweight if he defeats Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311. So it seems like we will have to wait until January 11 to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what Makhachev aspires to do next if he wins the upcoming bout.

However, UFC fans are sure that the Dagestani fighter won’t falter in facing Muhammad if he needs to.

• “He went and practiced so they wouldn’t fight him. Scared to death! 😂”

As of now, Muhammad doesn’t have a fight booked. But now that we can see that he has started training, we are sure that Rakhmonov has taken note too. After all, he is next in line to face the champion. This fight would have already taken place if it wasn’t for Muhammad’s bone infection. So before we jump to conclusions about Muhammad and Makhachev, Shavkat Rakhmonov is someone who could completely change the story.

• “Khabib trains Belal to fight Shavkat lol would never think that can happen.”

Not every fan was delving into the world of conspiracies, though. Several were simply happy for the return of Muhammad but were equally amazed at the amount of talent that he had in his fight pool. With ‘The Eagle’ as coach and other division champions and challengers as sparring partners, ‘Remember the Name’ would surely be a force to be reckoned with.

• “For all the people saying that Islam is fighting Belal, it is never gonna happen. BELAL at the moment represents all the people of Palestine, he is an inspiration to all. Fighting Belal and what he represents is never an option for virtuous people like Islam. I hope Belal clears the division and becomes a GOAT.”

Well, only his comeback fight against ‘Nomad’ will tell us what’s next. Do you think Muhammad will defend his belt? Let us know in the comments below.