Belal Muhammad sees himself as Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent: “Colby’s not taking that fight”

UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad foresees himself fighting Khamzat Chimaev.

The 33-year-old was last seen in action last weekend at UFC Vegas 51. Muhammad faced Vicente Luque in a rematch of their 2016 encounter. Their first matchup at UFC 205 saw the latter win via knockout. This time, however, the wrestler exacted his revenge and defeated the Brazilian via unanimous decision.

Following the bout, Belal Muhammad called out fellow contenders Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev. Presently, the two are expected to face off later this year in a Fight Night event on ABC. However, as of now, the fight hasn’t been booked.

Belal Muhammad has now explained his callout, as well discussing the matchup between Chimaev and Covington. The Chicago-native has explained that he thinks he will be matched up against the Chechen next.

The reasoning is that he doesn’t believe that Covington will accept a fight against Chimaev. Muhammad discussed the welterweight title picture on The Writer vs. The Fighter podcast.

image via @ufc on Instagram (photographer not listed)

“I tell people they’re like ‘oh well Khamzat’s going to fight Colby’ and I’m like Colby’s not taking that fight. Look who Colby is fighting, look who Colby is calling out. He’s calling out [lightweights]. Now that his tooth is broken, he’s probably going to be on the sideline for a couple of years until he gets some money from [Jorge] Masvidal.” (h/t MMAFighting)

“I don’t think Colby’s going to take a fight with either of us. He’s looking for somebody off losses, or he’s looking for a [lightweight], or I think he’s probably going to call out a Nick Diaz or a Nate Diaz. He’s going to wait on the sidelines for one of those type of fights. I just don’t think he’s going to take any tough matchups really.”

What do you think about Belal Muhammad’s comments about Colby Covington? Do you think he’ll face Khamzat Chimaev next?