Belal Muhammad reacts to being ranked above Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight division

Belal Muhammad reacts to being ranked above Khamzat Chimaev in the welterweight division

Belal Muhammad and Khamzat Chimaev

Belal Muhammad is currently one of the top MMA fighter in the UFC. He fights in the welterweight division of the promotion and has been stepping up in welterweight rankings steadily. Belal recently reacted to an unofficial ranking list online that place him above another welterweight fighter, Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat has been one of the popular names in the MMA community recently and it might come as a shock for many to see Belal above Khamzat in the welterweight division.

Khamzat has been performing really well as a fighter in the UFC and with only 11 fights, he is among the top fighters in his division. Khamzat was practically untouchable till his fight against Gilbert Burns, and even against Burns. He showed immense courage, and with his incredible talent, he defeated Burns via a unanimous decision.

According to official UFC rankings, Khamzat is ranked 3rd, while Belal is ranked 5th. Belal shared ranking from sports outlet Tapology, which had placed Belal above Khamzat in their unofficial rankings. Belal was ranked 3 on the list, while Khamzat was ranked 4th.

It seems that Tapology made an error while ranking players and after the tweet they corrected their ranking and matched ranks of both fighters with the official UFC rankings.

Related: Khamzat Chimaev works on his striking with Muay Thai World Champion Smilla Sundell

“I saw weaknesses”- Belal Muhammad claims he saw holes in Khamzat Chimaev’s game plan

Belal Muhammad on Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns
Belal Muhammad on Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns

Khamzat Chimaev fought Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 and while many expected him to rag doll Gilbert inside the octagon, we saw great fighting from both sides and for the first time, Khamzat looked human inside the octagon. Prior to his fight against Gilbert, Khamzat was literally untouchable. He dominated every opponent he faced and walked over them to earn himself a place among top welterweights in the world.

The welterweight division is among the most competitive division in the UFC and it is stacked with elite level fighters like Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns. Belal Muhammad recently talked about the fight between Khamzat and Gilbert and he feels he can see flaws in Khamzat’s game strategy. Belal revealed that to compete at the top level of the promotion, you need to have a solid game plan, but Khamzat lacked that in his fight against Burns.

Khamzat, in his interview with Brendan Schaub, said: “I saw weaknesses in him. When you get to the top five, if you’re not fighting with a strategy, you’re going to lose to the good guys.” Belal recently called out Khamzat for a fight and even Khamzat showed interest in fighting him. However, nothing has been yet announced by the UFC and no fight has been booked for either fighters.

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