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.
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?
Bro… no he does NOT have anything like Khabibs style lol
— EA (@GCUE_MADE) May 2, 2023
I don’t see it
— IPPO 👺 (@lamepocalypse) May 2, 2023
Okay I hope u not bias
— Jimmy Luke (@Joshjoshmma) May 2, 2023
OMG, Belal has a fighting STYLE? Like Khabib, I think Aljo wins, triple C mind is not functioning properly.
— Selvam G (@SelvamG2312) May 2, 2023
Belal wants nothing to do with Burns ground game! His game plan is jab &move his way to a decision
— Truth Teller (@BawiB3) May 3, 2023
Lost all credibility after you said he reminds you of Khabib lol ridiculous
— CCMMATV (@CCMMATV) May 3, 2023
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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.
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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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