{"id":304166,"date":"2025-11-24T17:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/304166\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T17:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T17:30:15","slug":"ex-ufc-champion-admits-theres-work-to-do-after-losing-back-to-back-fights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/304166\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-UFC champion admits there\u2019s \u201cwork to do\u201d after losing back-to-back fights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"57\">Former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad finds himself in uncharted territory following his loss at UFC Qatar. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5a\">\u201cRemember the Name\u201d entered the UFC Qatar co-main event looking to get back into the win column after losing the 170 lbs. belt to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, but instead the 37-year-old is now on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-qatar-free-live-stream-results-highlights-arman-tsarukyan-vs-dan-hooker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the first two-fight skid of his career <\/a>after dropping a decision to Ian Machado Garry. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5d\">The welterweight division is suddenly full of young contenders that all have a case to challenge for the title, and the 37-year-old Muhammad is sitting in a difficult spot as he approaches his tenth year on the UFC roster. <\/p>\n<p>Belal Muhammad Shares Statement After UFC Qatar Loss<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5j\">Muhammad won\u2019t get the chance to snap his losing skid this year unless he were to make a shocking turnaround for one of the two UFC events scheduled for December, but the former champion is more than ready to put in the work and prepare for a return at some point next year. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5q\">\u201cWe couldn\u2019t get it done Thankyou Doha for the memories Thankyou to my team and family and friends that are with me no matter what and Thankyou to anyone that\u2019s with me ..Alhamdillah for everything I\u2019m blessed to be here \u2026we have work to do\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5t\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/mma-yaroslav-amosov-debut-fight-final-ufc-card-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Decorated ex-MMA champion reportedly set to debut on final UFC card of the year<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5w\">Prior to meeting Della Maddalena at UFC 315, Muhammad was on a 10-fight win streak dating back to 2019. The lone setback during that stretch was a 2021 No Contest against Leon Edwards, but \u201cRemember the Name\u201d erased the memory of that disappointing result when he took Edwards\u2019 welterweight belt in their rematch at UFC 304. <\/p>\n<p>Who Will Fight UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"62\">A win at UFC Qatar could have set Muhammad up for a chance to reclaim his title, but instead it\u2019s Machado Garry who\u2019s now calling for what would be his first crack at UFC gold. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"65\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/gable-steveson-ufc-24-second-ko-mma-fight-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Gable Steveson puts UFC on notice with 24-second KO in second MMA fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"68\">\u201cThe Future\u201d does have a strong case for a title shot given that he just beat the division\u2019s former champion and is undefeated outside of last year\u2019s loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov, who many fans believe is still the division\u2019s clear number one contender. \u201cNomad\u201d went the distance for the first time when he met Machado Garry at UFC 310 to bring his professional record to 19-0, which includes six finishes since joining the UFC.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/01kav5qh4mq7cnvt9y8w.jpg\" alt=\"Shavkat Rakhmonov (red gloves) reacts with Ian Machado Garry (blues gloves) after their fight at T-Mobile Arena.\" title=\"Shavkat Rakhmonov (red gloves) reacts with Ian Machado Garry (blues gloves) after their fight at T-Mobile Arena.\" width=\"4661\" height=\"3107\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6h\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Shavkat Rakhmonov (red gloves) reacts with Ian Machado Garry (blues gloves) after their fight at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">The welterweight title picture looks to be wide open after Islam Makhachev <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/jack-della-maddalena-praises-islam-makhachev-first-message-ufc-title-fight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">unseated Della Maddalena and won the division\u2019s title <\/a>at UFC 322. That event also saw Michael Morales and Carlos Prates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-322-free-live-stream-results-highlights-della-maddalena-vs-islam-makhachev\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">throw themselves into the mix<\/a> for a championship opportunity with knockouts of Sean Brady and former titleholder Edwards. <\/p>\n<p>More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6r\">\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-hall-of-famer-clay-guida-previews-raf-debut-reflects-on-22-year-mma-career\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC Hall of Famer Clay Guida previews RAF debut, reflects on 22-year MMA career<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-qatar-fighter-sensational-one-shot-knockout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC Qatar fighter flattens opponent with sensational one-shot knockout<\/a> <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6x\">\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/chad-mendes-sends-wisdom-michael-chandler-conor-mcgregor-ufc-fight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Chad Mendes sends words of wisdom to Michael Chandler for Conor McGregor UFC fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-tony-ferguson-defend-misfits-boxing-title-after-ending-losing-streak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ex-UFC champion booked to defend boxing title after ending historic losing streak<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">Stick with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"76\">Follow MMAKnockout on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MMAKnockoutSI\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UFCKnockout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mmaknockoutsi\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad finds himself in uncharted territory following his loss at UFC Qatar. \u201cRemember&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[49,48,641,638,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-304166","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}