UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad shocked the world with the way he dispatched Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC Vegas 45. Muhammad used his superior wrestling abilities and found a way to take Thompson down at will. Chiefly, this is the first time in Thompson’s storied career that he has been virtually manhandled on the ground.
After the fight, ‘Remember The Name’ issued a challenge.
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“The only thing I’m feeling right now is Kamaru Usman. I need that title shot. Leon Edwards fighting 55’ers, he almost got knocked out by Nate Diaz. Get the fudge out of here. Stay in London, stay in hiding. Bully is here, bully is ready to fight. Let’s get new blood into title shots. Give me a fight.”
“Leon Edwards, that’s the only one that makes sense. Kamaru has fought three times this year, let him rest a little bit. We don’t need to see another rematch. Leon has fought three 55’ers in a row. Pocked me in the eye, there’s unfinished business there.”
“Bully B is the boogeyman. No one has ever beat Wonderboy like that. I’m the real dude right now. I’m the hype in the division. All the talks about these other guys, there ain’t no talk about 185. Usman gotta go through me first.”
In the event that Kamaru Usman takes some time off to recover, Belal Muhammad undoubtedly wants Leon Edwards next. It will be interesting to see if the UFC books that bout.
Belal Muhammad made a mockery of the takedown average and defense stats at UFC Vegas 45
Belal Muhammad doubled down on his call-out and made sure that everyone knew how dominant his performance was.
‘Remember the Name’ came in with a career takedown average of 28% that skyrocketed to 83% in his fight against ‘Wonderboy’. On the flip side, Thompson’s takedown defense stood at a respectable 74% on average before facing Belal Muhammad. However, that metric has fallen to 17% after Muhammad displayed ‘Khabib-esq’ prowess in the grappling department.
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Gotta give full credit to Belal Muhammad on that one. Saw his path to victory and took it, convincingly, against one of the most difficult style matchups in the division. Stephen Thompson badly needed a win tonight, we were expecting his best. Belal beat him. Moving on up.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 19, 2021
Kind of sad watching Wonderboy's decline in real time. Belal Muhammad is doing a great job but was almost impossible to get some of these positions on Thompson a few years ago. #UFCVegas45
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) December 19, 2021
Belal Muhammad texted me this week "I'm coming to drown him." Mission accomplished.
Guy works hard. Huge W. Good on the judges for being liberal w/ those 10-8's, too.
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) December 19, 2021
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I have NEVER seen someone dominate Wonderboy the way Belal Muhammad has. Not Gilbert Burns, not prime Tyron Woodley or Darren Till #UFCVegas45
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) December 19, 2021
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Fans will be waiting to see how Muhammad’s career progresses from here after his statement-making performance. He came in as the number 10 ranked welterweight and just ran through the number 5 ranked welterweight in Thompson. Hence, he could be in the top 5 in a few days’ time.