Belal Muhammad says Conor McGregor illustrates the “Dark side of fighting” in response to Irish star’s latest rant

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad believes Conor McGregor is no longer a role model for young athletes amidst his long Octagon hiatus.

Muhammad earned the UFC welterweight title by defeating Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 304. Just months after earning the belt, and capping off a lengthy win streak, Muhammad will defend the belt against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December.

Since winning the world championship, Muhammad has hit back at many of his past detractors including McGregor. But, McGregor hasn’t budged in his unfavorable stance towards Muhammad, as exemplified in a recent social media rant.

In a since-deleted tweet, McGregor called Muhammad the “Most abysmal zero revenue generating fighter in modern history”. You can check out the full rant here.

Belal Muhammad goes off on Conor McGregor as “Dark side of fighting”

In a recent episode of the Remember the Show podcast, Muhammad reacted to McGregor’s recent social media tirade.

“He just wants to stay in the public eye, and my fight just got announced,” Muhammad said. “We’re getting the momentum now, so now he wants to get his name in the mix. He says dumb stuff, you can just look at him and watch him, know he’s on drugs and that he’s probably not going to fight again in his life. So it’s not even worth acknowledging it, but I always like making fun of Conor McGregor, it’s the easiest thing in the world. There’s just so much to attack and he’s not really good at trash-talking anymore. He’s not that same, witty guy, he just keeps saying and repeating the same stuff over and over again…

“This guy’s all over the place. you watch him and look at him, and that’s what kids should look at, and that’s the downturn of fighting. That’s where you’re thinking ‘If I get this, I’m never going to change, never going to do that…’. That’s the dark side of it because a lot of changed for him. Obviously he’s rich, but sometimes richness isn’t the goal. Being happy is the goal,” Muhammad continued. “He’s not happy in his life, I don’t think he’s happy with where he’s at and that’s why he’s always trying to put his name in the mix because he’s not getting that same attention anymore. It may look like it because he’s flashing all this, but he’s definitely not a happy guy.”

As of this writing, McGregor hasn’t responded to Muhammad’s recent remarks. McGregor is targeting a UFC return in 2025 after withdrawing from UFC 303 due to injury.