Dana White apologizes for UFC Palestine flag mishap as champion Belal Muhammad goes public

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad praises UFC CEO Dana White for addressing his flag censorship issue.

Dana White apologizes for UFC Palestine flag mishap as champion Belal Muhammad goes public

Dana White's response over Palestinian flag issue revealed by Belal Muhammad (Image via Imago/MMA Fighting)

Two months later, Belal Muhammad is set to make his first title defense for the UFC welterweight championship. The UFC 315 pay-per-view event will be headlined by ‘Bully B’ and challenger Jack Della Maddalena. However, before the fight, the UFC welterweight champion expressed some concerns to Dana White, which have since been addressed.

Typically, the UFC website displays the fighters’ names along with their respective flags in the details of an upcoming UFC PPV event. In the case of the champ, while the promotion included Jack Della Maddalena’s Australian flag, it overlooked Muhammad’s flag. Consequently, the 170-pound champion asked UFC CEO Dana White to address the issue. In response, White assured Muhammad that he would take care of it.

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to Dana. Talked to him. He said, ‘the flag’s back up tonight’, apologised and that’s why I love the UFC, I love this company, and that’s why Dana is the man. The only organisation that lets you to be yourself and true to his word and uh doesn’t let other people sway his attitude or what he’s gonna do. So, shout out to Dana, shout out to the UFC and uh Flag is back baby.

Belal Muhammad in a video on X (@bullyb170)
YouTube video

The UFC CEO is an individual who has received significant praise from many notable personalities within the promotion. Over the years, the UFC has played a crucial role in the rise of several MMA fighters to global prominence.

Fighters like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones are examples of those who have always been supported by Dana White. Continuing this trend, the UFC CEO made a concerted effort to fulfill Muhammad’s request as well.

‘Bully B’ recently achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Palestinian-American UFC champion. Although Muhammad was born and raised in Chicago, his parents are Palestinians. Despite that, the UFC welterweight champion has faced intense scrutiny from several fellow competitors in the promotion. Many have dismissed Muhammad’s claims of being associated with Palestinians.

Kamaru Usman mocks Belal Muhammad’s double-champion aspirations

In his pursuit of the 170 lbs title, Belal Muhammad has defeated many tough opponents leading up to his title shot. In the main event of UFC 304, Muhammad ultimately triumphed over Leon Edwards to become the UFC welterweight champion. Interestingly, even though he has not yet made his first title defense, ‘Bully B’ has expressed his aspirations to become a double champion.

Kamaru Usman talks about Belal Muhammad's double-champ aspirations
Kamaru Usman talks about Belal Muhammad’s double-champ aspirations (Image via Imago)

Dricus Du Plessis is currently the UFC middleweight champion and recently defended his title at UFC 312. Following this, there has been significant buzz surrounding potential champion vs. champion matchups, with even Muhammad expressing his desire to claim the 185-pound title. However, rival Kamaru Usman has stated his belief that ‘Bully B’ does not deserve that opportunity.

If Belal wants to go up and fight DDP, then he vacates the title…Who cares? He hasn’t gone through the division to say, ‘Hey, I want double straps.’ No one cares, and listen, this is not me trying to hate or say anything negative about him. If he wants to do that, that’s fine. He can do that, but there’s a plethora of guys there… So, there’s guys coming that you haven’t really gone through the division.

Kamaru Usman via Pound 4 Pound podcast
YouTube video

Although ‘Bully B’ was scheduled to defend his title for the first time against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, the fight could not take place because Muhammad had to withdraw due to a toe infection. Now, at UFC 315 in May 2025, the UFC welterweight champion is finally ready for a fight after winning the title in July 2024.

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