On Saturday, December 16, the UFC closes its 2023 calendar with its final pay-per-view event. The main event of that card, UFC 296, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sees UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards putting his title on the line against former interim UFC 170-pound titleholder Colby Covington. Belal Muhammad is the fighter who will weigh in as the backup for that contest.
Muhammad is 23-3-0-1 over his professional career. The 35-year-old is unbeaten in his past 10 fights. He is 9-0-0-1 over that time. The no contest on his record came in 2021 when he could not continue his scrap opposite Leon Edwards after an accidental eye poke in the second round. Muhammad is currently the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC welterweight rankings.
Muhammad told MMA Junkie about his role at UFC 296.
“They just hit me up Friday, asked me if I’m willing to weigh in for next week,” Muhammad said. “I think obviously they know Colby and Leon are the two most inactive welterweights in the division. Neither of these guys likes to fight. They’re both good at running. So just to be on the safe side, they called the dude that always steps up whenever needed.”
Muhammad is coming off a May 2023 decision win over former UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns. Before that fight, UFC CEO Dana White said the contest’s winner, which took place at UFC 288, would receive a title shot following the Edwards vs. Covington matchup.
Although he doesn’t he didn’t have a fight scheduled before the UFC tapped him to serve as the backup at UFC 296, Muhammad said he was training.
“For me, I was training this whole time regardless just in case something happened,” Muhammad said. “The last two main events on the pay-per-views both got canceled, but since my last fight with Gilbert Burns, I took that one on short notice and I was like, ‘I never want to get out of shape like this again.’ Because I was so bad before that fight and it was the hardest fight cut ever. So I knew I had to be a professional from then on. Never getting big like that again.”
UFC 296 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, December 16. The pay-per-view portion of the UFC 296 card streams on ESPN+ PPV following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on ESPN+.