Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has publicly stated that he has no intention of forgiving Sean Strickland following the latter’s controversial comments directed at the Muslim community during the lead-up to UFC 328. Strickland, the current two-time UFC middleweight champion, made several inflammatory remarks about fighters, including Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov.
Despite winning the title by defeating Chimaev and subsequently apologizing to fans and Chimaev’s team, attributing his actions to hype generation and admitting he “went too fu**ing hard” with promotion, not all fighters are ready to accept Strickland’s apology.
Belal Muhammad Vows Future Confrontation with Sean Strickland
Belal Muhammad expressed skepticism regarding Sean Strickland’s apologies and his attempt to portray himself as a peacemaker. Muhammad stressed that while trash talk is part of fight promotion, certain topics, such as religion and family, should be off-limits due to their deeply personal nature. In a recent warning to Strickland, Muhammad stated:
“Even though the clown apologized, ‘I apologized to my Muslim fans, I was just promoting a fight.’ No, it’s not promoting a fight when you’re talking about religion. When you talk about religion, talk about family, that hits different. I hope to one day step in the cage with that clown before it’s all said and done and just make him bleed.”
Nassourdine Imavov Shares Similar Sentiments
Nassourdine Imavov, who is widely anticipated to be Strickland’s next opponent, also took to social media following UFC 328 to express his displeasure. He tweeted a direct challenge to Strickland, promising to “put your lights out.”
Imavov echoed Muhammad’s sentiments, emphasizing the personal impact of insults related to religion, family, and nation. He posted:
“They say I take things too personally. Damn right. Religion, family, nation… these aren’t marketing to me. Every insult comes with a price. You’ll pay for it! NO HAPPY ENDING @SStricklandMMA.”