Belal Muhammad’s shot at the title is on hold. If Colby Covington has anything to do with it, that wait might extend.
Former interim champ Covington is gearing up to challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight title. This fight is scheduled for Saturday and is Covington’s first since March 2022.
Many believed Muhammad, with his 10-fight unbeaten streak, should have been the next challenger. However, the promotion decided to give the title shot to the audacious “Chaos.” Edwards has also questioned the challenger’s qualifications, noting that Covington’s last three victories were against fighters no longer in the UFC.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Covington retaliated. He labeled Muhammad as a “racist” and “race baiter.”
Covington stated, “No, who wants to fight a racist?” He went on to add, “That guy hasn’t deserved anything. It’s not my fault he’s not a star. You have to make yourself a star. I’m the one that did the things that needed to be done to become a superstar like I have. What has he done? He hasn’t done anything.”
Covington also accused Muhammad of race baiting. He said, “He’s out there race baiting saying ‘you earned this because of the color of your skin, it’s white privilege.,’ Are you kidding me? Dude, he’s not getting no title shot. There will be no title shot for him.”
Muhammad responded to Covington’s comments. He dismissed the idea of “Chaos” picking his opponents. He also took a jab at Edwards, referring to rumors that the champ kicked undefeated Irish prospect Ian Garry out of his home gym, Team Renegade.
Muhammad wrote, “NEITHER OF THESE CLOWNS CALLS THE SHOTS Leon’s a nerd who throws people out of his gym because he can’t handle competition and Colby is just a bum Trying to wait for Trump to be president again so he feels relevant…”
Dana White, the UFC president, has said that Muhammad will “100%” fight the winner of the UFC 296 headliner.
UFC 296 is set for Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card will be co-headlined by a flyweight title bout between reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval.