After a year away from the Octagon, ranked #2 welterweight contender, Belal Muhammad, is primed for his return. Set to clash with champion Leon Edwards on July 27th in Manchester, England, at UFC 304, Muhammad has his sight set on claiming the welterweight crown. However, Belal Muhammad’s aspirations could be complicated by his friend, Islam Makhachev. The UFC lightweight champion recently voiced his desire to move up to welterweight after his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. In a recent interview, Muhammad proposed a different path for Makhachev.

Earlier this year, Belal Muhammad traveled to Dagestan to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. This trip, which also served to solidify their friendship, sparked an interesting idea from Muhammad. When a reporter recently inquired about a potential future fight with Makhachev, Muhammad dismissed the notion, emphasizing their close bond and referring to Makhachev as a brother.

“I think he can literally go up to 185 and win the belt. People don’t know how big he is, how strong he is, and how talented he is. I think if he didn’t have to cut weight, at 185 he could still go out there and beat these guys,” Belal Muhammad said while speaking on the YouTube channel ‘The Schmo’.

Expanding on the topic, Muhammad proposed potential matchups for Islam Makhachev in the middleweight division. He suggested marquee names like champion Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, expressing his belief that Makhachev’s skill set would be a great fit for the weight class.

Before UFC 302, Islam Makhachev also discussed the possibility of moving up to the welterweight division and fighting Belal Muhammad.

Islam Makhachev on a potential bout with Belal Muhammad

Makhachev also aspires to become a two-division champion, with his sights set on welterweight next. In a podcast appearance on ‘Weighing In’ two months back, he acknowledged the possibility of facing his friend and training partner Belal Muhammad down the line, potentially after Muhammad defeats Leon Edwards at UFC 304.

“Belal, he was here now,” Makhachev said, adding, “He just came yesterday. I don’t know, brother. I don’t know. We have the same manager. We’ll do something. We will see, brother… He just came to the camp and he was sparring today with Saygid [Izagakhmaev]. It’s gonna be a crazy fight because Belal waiting too much for his chance and he training very hard for this one.”

Islam Makhachev’s comment made his intention clear: welterweight is his next target, not middleweight. Now that Belal Muhammad has proposed an alternative path for Makhachev, it will be interesting to see if his friend’s suggestion sways his decision.

What are your thoughts on Belal Muhammad’s advice to Makhachev? Share your thoughts in the comments below.