Khabib Nurmagomedov rates UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad’s cardio very highly.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) is unbeaten in his past 11 fights, outlasting Leon Edwards, Gilbert Burns and Vicente Luque in five-round fights. He will look to make his first title defense against Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC 315 headliner (ESPN+ pay-per-view) on May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
“I believe it will be very hard to beat Belal,” Nurmagomedov said in a recent interview with Adam Zubayraev. “If Maddalena or Shavkat (Rakhmonov) don’t finish him early, Belal is just going to keep pressing. His endurance is really good. In fact, I think it’s the most underrated aspect in MMA today. Belal’s cardio is the best in this division for sure, and maybe even in all of UFC.”
Nurmagomedov’s protege, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, has made his intentions of chasing a second title very clear. However, with Muhammad the current UFC welterweight champion, Nurmagomedov doesn’t want to see the pair fight after Muhammad has trained with them on numerous occasions.
If Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is able to dethrone Muhammad, that’s when Nurmagomedov sees Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) moving up to 170 pounds.
“Islam wants to move up to 170, but we can’t fight there because Belal is there,” Nurmagomedov said. “He’s a close friend to us. That’s why we can’t put relationships above titles. That’s just not how we do things. The people suggesting it, they don’t see it the same way so, we have a different perspective on this.
“We look at it a little differently. If Maddalena were the champion, Islam would’ve already fought him. But as I understand it, the UFC is waiting for the May event where Belal and Maddlena will fight. Personally, I want Belal to win. I sincerely hope he does. But if Maddalena wins, I think the UFC could offer Islam a fight with Maddalena at 170.”
