Belal Muhammad ready to take up Conor McGregor’s burden of closing out year with banger UFC PPV

UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad talks about potentially replacing Conor McGregor for end of the year PPV event.

Belal Muhammad ready to take up Conor McGregor’s burden of closing out year with banger UFC PPV

Belal Muhammad plans to replace Conor Mcgregor in 2024 (Image via Imago)

Belal Muhammad recently became the newly crowned UFC welterweight champion. He is currently aiming to fight again at UFC 310. The event is scheduled for December 2024. Fresh off his title victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304, Muhammad has expressed his desire to stay active and possibly replace Conor McGregor.

Belal Muhammad is eyeing a title defense against either Kamaru Usman or Shavkat Rakhmonov. Both fighters are top contenders in the welterweight division. ‘Remember The Name’ has been critical of champions who do not fight frequently, and he intends to change that by taking on the toughest challenges available. He addressed this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

You just never know if they don’t want to put nobody on McGregor’s card, but I doubt McGregor’s even fighting... If they need somebody for that, I’ll be there.
Belal Muhamma on MMA Junkie

While Usman has been on a losing streak, Rakhmonov remains undefeated and has been vocal about deserving the next title shot. The fight is likely to be a highlight of the end-of-year UFC events, though the exact opponent and date are yet to be confirmed.

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As for the Irish superstar, Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC is uncertain. UFC CEO, Dana White recently stated that McGregor will not fight this year. Despite this, McGregor has insisted that he could be ready for a December bout. ‘The Notorious’ has been out of action since July 2021.

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Dan Hooker’s coach speaks on potential fight with Conor McGregor

UFC 305 victor Dan Hooker‘s coach recently spoke up about a potential matchup between Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor. Hooker had recently expressed his desire to “snake” the McGregor fight away from Chandler. The Kiwi emphasized that such a move would be a significant troll on Chandler, who has been anticipating a fight with McGregor for quite a while.

Dan Hooker believes he's the best choice for Conor McGregor's return fight
Dan Hooker believes he’s the best choice for Conor McGregor’s return fight (via Imago)

Following his toe injury, Conor McGregor’s planned fight against Michael Chandler earlier this year was canceled. Hooker previously lost to Chandler when Iron made his UFC debut in 2021. During a recent interview with Submission Radio, ‘The Hangman’s longtime striking coach Mike Angove, made an interesting statement about ‘The Notorious’.

McGregor is all over the shop. It looks like is [McGregor vs Chandler] is something that Dana has fallen away from... There's plenty of options there, and Hooker is still dangerous to anyone in that division... Don't forget what he did to Gilbert Burns.
Mike Angove via Submission Radio
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Angove also said that Chandler does not have a great resume recently. He has not had a good run of wins and a potential rematch is something that ‘Team Hooker’ desperately wants. He believes that had the fight at UFC 257 gone any longer than the first round, Chandler would have been out of there.

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