How Long Will Belal Muhammad Rule The UFC Welterweight Division?

How Long Will Belal Muhammad Rule The Welterweight Division?

At UFC 304, Belal Muhammad beat Leon Edwards to win the UFC welterweight title. Will Muhammad be able to defend his title multiple times or will his run be cut short? Let’s discuss.

The Potential For A Long Title Reign

Muhammad does have a few traits that would allow him to defend the title multiple times. The biggest influences for a long title reign are his well-roundedness, game planning, and physical skills.

One of the keys to Muhammad’s success is his well-rounded skills. This helps from an offensive and defensive perspective. The ability to attack his opponent through distance striking, boxing, or offensive grappling allows Muhammad to consistently create a formula for success. At the same time, it is hard to attack him offensively because he has no clear weakness.

This well-rounded foundation only works because Muhammad and his team are strong game planners. In his long win streak, Muhammad has consistently fought with intelligent game plans. This has been a crucial point of his success and will be massive if he hopes to consistently defend his title.

Lastly, Muhammad has strong physical traits. In every fight, he will bring toughness, durability, physical strength, and cardio. That combination ensures he will physically be able to compete with the division’s top talents.

Muhammad’s Age

One of the biggest factors for every fighter’s future is their age. Muhammad, 36, is on the older side for a fighter winning the belt for the first time.

In championship fights at 170 pounds or lower, fighters that are 35 or older have typically struggled. In history, these fighters are 3-22 in title fights and 2-21 when they are the older fighters. This does not present a tone of hope that Muhammad will be able to rule the division for a long time. At the same time, he did buck the trend to win the title. Plus, all of the wins in the aforementioned sample size have come at welterweight.

Nonetheless, it is hard to imagine Muhammad will be making improvements at this point in his career. The bigger question is when he will start to decline. Once that happens, it’s unlikely he will retain the belt for long.

Future Contenders

The welterweight division is currently changing. The elder statesmen of the division are beginning to drop out of title contention while the fresh faces of the division rise.

The next welterweight title challenger will be from the crop of young talent. It is hard to imagine a circumstance where Shavkat Rakhmonov does not fight for the title. Rakhmonov was a serious prospect who has cemented himself as a title challenger. ‘Nomad’ should not be taken lightly as a challenger.

If Muhammad can defend the title against Rakhmonov, the upcoming potential challengers are Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry. Those are both talented younger fighters who are making improvements.

It would not be a shock to see previous champions return as contenders as well. Kamaru Usman should never be counted out and it will not take him much to earn a title fight. Similarly, Edwards could work his way back into the title contention.

I would not project a lengthy title run for Muhammad. That is not an attempt to insult his skills. It’s more of a statement about Rakhmonov’s talent. I will take Rakhmonov to beat Muhammad barring any unforeseen changes. In turn, I doubt he will be a champion for long. That said, if he can get past Rakhmonov he can add several defenses to his resume.

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