Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards are set to fight at UFC 304 in the UK. Everything is going smoothly, as it does before most UFC bouts with the trash-talking, rivalries outside the cage, and all other shenanigans. However, there was one thing that seemed to irk the fans recently when they visited the official UFC site to check the fight cards for UFC 304.

Belal Muhammad’s country flag was not displayed below his picture. However, all other fighters, including his opponent Edwards, had their flag and country name displayed below their photos on the website. This was pointed out by a fan on Reddit, who took a screenshot and asked, “Why doesn’t Belal have a flag? Everybody else does.” Muhammad was born and brought up in Chicago, Illinois, and is thus an American citizen. However, his parents have a connection to Palestine.

His parents, Abdullah Muhammad (father) and Maha Muhammad (mother) are Palestinian immigrants who came to the USA, and thus the fighter is said to have Palestinian ethnicity. The 36-year-old has never shied away from acknowledging his roots and heritage. He has often reflected on how he needs to represent his Palestinian heritage across the globe.

Stating his connections with a charity in Palestine during a UFC 304 countdown video, Belal Muhammad said, “My family is from Palestine. We work for a charity called the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. They do a lot of work in Palestine… Now, with what’s happening over there, we were able to bring a father and a son to America.”

Muhammad has also been vocal about the struggles of the people in Palestine and has tried to help as much as he can via donations and spreading awareness. The welterweight star helped a father and son by bringing them to the USA after the son’s mother tragically passed away in Palestine. A few months back, he also joined hands with Penny Appeal Canada to collect donations to support the people in Palestine and provide them with food, clear water, and other basic amenities. 

While it is not clear if Belal Muhammad would prefer an American or Palestine flag under his name, as there have been many instances when he had walked for his fights while carrying the Palestine flag, the UFC fans raised some genuine questions after seeing the absence of any flag.

Fans speculate the reason why Belal Muhammad’s country flag was not there on the UFC website

Muhammad and Edwards are having a rematch at UFC 304 after their first match ended with a brutal eye poke from Edwards. Even though it was an accident, the fight was ruled out to be a no-contest. Now they have a second chance of redeeming themselves and the fight card has got the fans excited. ‘Rocky’ and ‘Remember the Name’ are ready to fight as the UFC website updated their cards for this bout. As Belal Muhammad’s country flag was not there, a social media user took a dig saying, “Leon is the winner of the flag contest by decision.”

Another UFC viewer seemed to support the UFC as they stated, “As far as I know, the UFC hasn’t had any issues with him carrying the Palestinian flag, so I’ve got no idea why they wouldn’t show it.” It is no secret that Dana White lifted the banning of flags in 2023 before October after a two-year ban. He had said, “Flags are back,” at the UFC Vegas 80 post-fight presser. He continued, “I was on vacation during the Mexican Independence Day, and the no flag thing drove me crazy. So I was like, ‘Yeah, f*ck that. We’re bringing flags back.’ It drove me crazy.”

White had claimed that he did not micromanage everything and boldly declared, “Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.” However, the flag ban was back at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi as the fighter Muhammad Mokaev, who was set to face Tim Elliot in the event, had revealed on V, “No flags at UFC 294.”

Some fans believe this might be the case again for UFC 304. However, others thought this might be a mistake and said, “UFC website is managed by apes. I bet they just forgot to give him the flag.” One social media user believes that the promotion might have been done it on purpose owing to what is going on in the world right now. They said, “Palestinian flag? Doubtful, this was very much done on purpose.”

Another follower pointed out that since Muhammad was born and raised in America, it should be the American flag. They said, “It should be an American flag isn’t he born and raised in Chicago?” Meanwhile, a UFC fan took a cheeky stance, recalling the fighter’s nickname, “He said remember the name, not the country.” One fan who expects Muhammad to win said, “If he wins, he gets the belt and the flag.”

What do you think might be the reason behind the difference in the profiles of Belal Muhammad and Leon Edwards? Was it truly a mistake? Let us know your views in the comments below.