Belal Muhammad Injury: When UFC 315 Star Almost Lost Toe to Infection

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad talks about his toe injury and how he was close to losing his toe last year.

Belal Muhammad Injury: When UFC 315 Star Almost Lost Toe to Infection

Belal Muhammad shares gruesome details about his toe injury (via Imago/X)

Freak injuries are very common in the world of MMA, and have often destroyed many promising careers in the past. UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad had a toe injury last year, which prevented him from fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. While many doubted Muhammad’s intentions and accused him of ducking the fight, the reality of the injury was actually pretty serious.

Ahead of UFC 315, Muhammad appeared on a podcast with former UFC champion and legendary MMA fighter Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson. During their detailed conversation, Johnson brought up the topic regarding Muhammad’s toe injury situation. While speaking honestly, Muhammad revealed he was dangerously close to losing his toe entirely due to emergency surgical amputation.

Since the toe was broken, the infection went straight into the bone and got in there quicker. So it spread a lot faster…..He (Doctor) took a piece of the bone from the toe to know exactly what antibiotics to give me. He was like, ‘If you’d waited a couple more days, it would have grown up the foot. He said that most people that have bone infections are diabetics, and a lot of the time I’m cutting it right away. I’m either cutting a toe, cutting a foot — it’s coming off. I see you being healthy and your body fighting it.

Belal Muhammad via Demetrious Johnson’s YouTube channel 

It happened before Muhammad’s first-ever title defense since capturing the belt by defeating Leon Edwards impressively at UFC 304. After his dominant performance against the UK native, fans hoped to see him face a wrestling-heavy opponent like Rakhmonov. Instead, Ian Garry stepped in as Muhammad’s replacement and went on to have a very close fight with the Kazakh fighter.

Muhammad, on the other hand, is currently scheduled to fight top welterweight contender Jack Della Maddalena this Saturday in Montreal. Going into the fight, the champ is the betting favorite to beat JDM and retain his belt. On the other hand, Della Maddalena is confident to put a stop to Muhammad’s ongoing winning streak and take the championship back to Australia. 

Belal Muhammad chooses his future opponents after UFC 315

The UFC welterweight division is currently stacked with some of the most dangerous and hungry title contenders in the organization. After losing to Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry bounced back strongly by defeating feared knockout specialist Carlos Prates in dominant fashion. He plans to be ringside for Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena and firmly believes he deserves the next title shot.

Belal Muhammad predicts his next opponent
Belal Muhammad predicts his next opponent (via X)

On top of that, Sean Brady entered the title picture after a dominant and impressive win over former champion Leon Edwards. Muhammad is completely aware of the rising challengers and has made it clear he’s not planning to avoid anyone. In a recent interview, he even mentioned Joaquin Buckley, acknowledging his incredible winning streak and growing momentum in the division.

I think Sean Brady probably had the best performance like beating Leon Edwards like that, finishing him but obviously I finished him….If Buckley finishes Usman and Colby back to back, I think that puts him ahead of everybody else.

Belal Muhammad via FULL SEND PODCAST 

Buckley is currently riding an impressive six-fight winning streak, having faced notable opponents like Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington already. His most recent fight against ‘Chaos’ was a clinical performance that made ‘New Mansa’ a rising fan favorite contender. He is now scheduled to fight former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a highly anticipated showdown this coming June.

Usman is currently on a three-fight losing streak, but that hasn’t stopped him from beefing with Muhammad. Their rivalry has been bitter in the last few months, making a great recipe for a grudge title fight. However, before that, he needs to go through a young blood in Buckley.

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