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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Henry Cejudo had an amusing take when he saw Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s spitting image in Belal Muhammad. ‘Triple C’, who called off his retirement recently, detailed the makeshift but mouthwatering fight between Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns at UFC 288. The welterweight fight intrigued the former UFC champion who is headlining the same fight card against Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title.

Not only did he label it as an eliminator for the title contender, but he also theorized the winner would become the world champion next. But, his comparison of ‘Remember the Name’ with ‘The Eagle’ raised quite a few eyebrows, especially when the Russian fighter had exhibited sheer dominance during his active career.

Henry Cejudo believes Belal Muhammad takes after his mentor Khabib

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The 36-year-old, appearing on his YouTube channel, channelized his inner MMA analyst and listed the strength of both opponents. Starting with Muhammed, Cejudo mentioned the American fighter was tenacious, a trait he shared with Nurmagomedov.

via Getty

Cejudo said, “His number one strength, when I think of Belal Muhammad, is his tenacity. He’s a tenacious human. He’s on you. I see a lot of Khabib in this dude.”

“I think if there’s anybody that really resembles Khabib like their fight status, the way they go and they try to get takedowns, Muhammad approaches that,” he added later.

In addition, Muhammad’s freestyle wrestling also resembled the former lightweight champion’s style. Notably, Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared in Muhammad’s corner when the latter snapped Sean Brady’s unbeaten record at UFC 280. It was no brainer that #4 ranked welterweight picked a trick or two from Nurmagomedov.

But the former double champion’s bold statement didn’t sit well with the fans. While some refused to fathom the Olympic gold medalist’s rationale, others took a jibe at him.

How did the fans react to Henry Cejudo’s remarks?

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Markedly, Henry Cejudo cut short his three-year-long retirement and accepted a fight against the ‘Funk Master’ Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight championship at UFC 288. Previously, he had defended his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 and relinquished his title after brushing past him.

Read More: “Total Dominance, Nurmagomedov Is GOAT” – Despite Always Claiming Jon Jones to Be the Best, Joe Rogan Believes Khabib to Be the Greatest in This Aspect

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What do you think of this parallel by former UFC champion Henry Cejudo? Do you believe Belal Muhammad takes after his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov? Let us know in the comments below.

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