Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is eyeing Belal Muhammad as his next opponent as he aims to rebound and climb back into title contention.
Strickland recently suffered his second consecutive defeat, losing a rematch against Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year at UFC 312.
Aside from his in-cage performances, Strickland has remained a controversial figure, drawing criticism for actions outside the octagon, including a highly debated sparring session and a public disagreement with his coach, Eric Nicksick.
Strickland Targets Belal Muhammad After Welterweight Loss
Belal Muhammad`s brief reign as welterweight champion concluded recently when he was defeated by Jack Della Maddalena. Prior to that loss, Muhammad had expressed interest in potentially moving up to the middleweight division to compete for a title there.
Meanwhile, the current middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, is scheduled to defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319, as announced by UFC CEO Dana White.
Given their history of online banter and Muhammad`s recent loss, Strickland believes now is the opportune moment for them to finally settle their rivalry in the cage.
“I mean, Belal would be a fun fight, that’d be a fun one,” Strickland told Helen Yee. He didn`t hold back in his callout, stating, “Belal, you should finally sack up, dog. This is it, you can finally stack the f— up, dude, all that s— you talked, we can finally make it happen. You lost your belt, you kind of got f—– up, I got f—– up, we should make that fight happen, Belal. That would be a good one, right? You can come up to middleweight. He said he would (come up to middleweight). All that s— he talked on Instagram like ‘I’m gonna come fight you, I’m gonna do this’, now you can you p—-, do it for Palestine.”
Strickland`s Current Weight Revealed
Strickland noted that despite staying active in training, he appears significantly larger than usual, enjoying the current lack of an immediate fight commitment.
He revealed his current walking weight is around 230lbs, humorously admitting he`s “a little fat.” This weight is typically closer to that of light heavyweight fighters before cutting down to 205lbs.
With a considerable weight cut required to return to the 185lbs middleweight division, Strickland will have several potential opponents upon his return. Former champion Israel Adesanya has also recently expressed interest in a rematch, following his title loss to Strickland in a surprising upset.
