From a security staff member not recognizing him at UFC 310 to getting booed even after delivering great performances, reigning welterweight champion Belal Muhammad cannot catch a break! However, he doesn’t pay too much attention to such reception from the UFC community. ‘Remember the Name’ did, however, have an issue with the Palestinian flag getting removed from the promotion’s website profile of UFC 315. Fans were quick to spot that and spread the word on social media, which certainly caught Dana White‘s attention.

When Muhammad caught wind of his flag getting removed, he appeared to have raised the issue. And it seems like the head honcho was quick to take the necessary actions. The welterweight champion revealed that he had an interaction with his employer during a recent UFC 313 pay-per-view weekend, where his teammate Ignacio Bahamondes fought, and it was White who came up to him and assured him that the Palestinian would be on display soon. Sure enough, Muhammad got what he wanted, and he was full of praise for White, thanking him for delivering on his promise.

“I mean, it meant a lot, especially with Dana, right? When I was at the weigh-ins with Nacho [Bahamondes] at the PPV, Dana walked up to me like, ‘Bro, your flag’s coming right back up,'” Belal Muhammad told MMA Junkie. “And then it was up there tonight. So it means a lot to me that he kept his word, and like he says, ‘I don’t censor anything. I’m not pushing anything in for myself.’ And, for the people of Palestine, right? They need their flag represented.”

Given that he’s the first champion in the UFC to represent Palestine, Belal Muhammad feels like he must give his people a ‘voice’ through him. “They need that voice. That’s what I am. I’m their champion, and I’m always gonna carry that flag with me. I’m always gonna carry that flag high with pride,” the champion added.

As we all know, Dana White is a staunch free speech supporter and never shies away from speaking his mind. But when it comes to the national flags, it was once banned in the UFC. And the CEO brought it back in 2023. “I was on vacation during the Mexican Independence Day, and the no flag thing drove me crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, f— that. We’re bringing flags back.’ It drove me crazy,” said the 55-year-old.

Moreover, White even offered an explanation as to what led to allow flags in the UFC in 2023. And guess? It all started with Noche UFC. Here’s what the CEO had to say.

Dana White explains why he allowed fighters to use their national flags

Dana White didn’t really see any difference initially in having and not having flags shown for the UFC fighters. But the UFC’s first Mexican Independence Day Fight Night changed the 55-year-old’s mind. After all, the promotion was celebrating the contribution of Mexico in mixed martial arts, so it only made sense for him to allow all flags to celebrate other nations and their fighters as well.

“When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch, and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f—–g bad,” Dana White told the media in the post-fight presser of 2023’s Noche UFC.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if Belal Muhammad can continue to represent his country with a win next month when he locks horns with Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.