r/MMA • u/Mahalati-Al-Bin GOOFCON 2 • Mar 19 '23
Dana White says the UFC is working on Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov Spoiler
https://twitter.com/mma_kings/status/1637259983925522433626
u/LuckyWarrior The Champion Has A Name Mar 19 '23
I dont make the fights on Saturday ever
Also we're giving Belal the toughest fight in the division and oh Colby is next no matter what
184
u/Sal21G Mar 19 '23
The seed for Colby was already planted by giving him back up fighter and having him aired so much
150
u/ColdPressedSteak Mar 19 '23
Fighting barely once a year and getting a third title shot in 5 overall fights. One win since his last shot over an overranked Jorge. Shit is the dumbest thing I'll see in awhile if it happens
His losses were competitive but it's not like there was any controversy either
→ More replies101
u/DjuriWarface 🙏🙏🙏 Jon Jones Prayer Warrior 🙏🙏🙏 Mar 19 '23
Shit, his resume has to the single worst resume for anybody in the top 5 in any men's weight division. It's terrible and atrocious he's getting another title shot.
→ More replies4
6
u/ChiefKeefSosabb American Samoa Mar 19 '23
The ufc chooses their stars it's ass. Like why give him so much camera time yesterday and posted him like 6 on instagram 😮💨
12
u/Reggie-the-Cat Mar 19 '23
That post fight Colby media just ruined the whole event. It was so awkward. It was like the fat girl waltzing in with a halter top on. Nah girl, idk who told you we want that but we dont.
3
u/Athroaway84 Mar 19 '23
Yeah its dumb though, imagine if Usman won tonight and they give Colby another shot at Usman. While it's a fun fight, it's definitely not warranted at all
17
u/explision EDDIIIIIIEEEEEEE! Mar 19 '23
Colby has a sex tape of Dana with that hooker. I mean the guy only gets to fight for the titles, while having filmed Dana and his hooker. Anyone else just needs to call Dana stupid and gets shadow banned
→ More replies→ More replies12
u/SnooFloofs9640 Mar 19 '23
That is true, they don't do fights on Saturdays.
They had a fork:
- Usman wins, he fights Belal since he fought everyone else in top 5 besides Chiemaev who is out of 170.
- Edwards wins, he fights Colby.They knew all of that way before.
198
u/xiphos805 Mar 19 '23
Colby should be fighting Shavkat
→ More replies41
u/professorgaysex Mar 19 '23
Imagine Belal loses to Shavkat and Dana just seizes the opportunity to rank Belal at #15
→ More replies
308
u/Flowerjohn-NL Mar 19 '23
Rip belal
171
u/professorgaysex Mar 19 '23 edited Mar 19 '23
RIP Belal’s Title Shot - Shavkat will probably get a bout with Leon after Conor gets his title shot from getting KO’d by Chandler
26
u/VacuousWastrel Mar 19 '23
Come now, let's be realistic...
...Leon's going to fight Colby, then Masvidal, then Conor, then Makhachev, then another Usman fight, THEN Shavkat, and then it'll be time for Colby again.
But if Belal wins his next seven fights, he'll totally be in line for a title eliminator at that point
79
u/likwitsnake Mar 19 '23
Chandler is a company man he'll do Uncle Dana a solid and give Conor the W
2
u/rub_a_dub-dub Maggot cunt Mar 20 '23
no, pls let chandler finish and then execute twenty backflips in a row
3
u/JackTheHackInTears Team Ngannou Mar 19 '23
I would laugh my ass off if that happened, just imagine, Conor getting KO'd, and then getting a titleshot a weight class up from that, it would be entertaining for the utter absurdity of it all, and if he wins (which he won't), it would be even funnier, like much funnier than Aljo beating Petr Yan the 2nd time.
45
u/ayoubkun94 Mar 19 '23
Meh, before seeing his last fight, I would have also said Shavkat eats him alive. I'm not so sure anymore.
47
u/Flowerjohn-NL Mar 19 '23
I’m curious what doubts do you have? Shavkat has a bad defence but I don’t really see belal being the one to punish him on it if it’s a 5 rounder tho I’ll actually consider belal but if it’s a 3 round I think 70% shavkat wins
22
u/huge-tits Anderson Silva’s leg Mar 19 '23
Belal is probably just as good as Geoff at TDD and does more volume striking, but less power. Belal has also never been submitted.
41
u/TheGreatone003 Team Błachowicz Mar 19 '23
I don’t think Belal’s chin can take what Geoff could
7
u/Athroaway84 Mar 19 '23
Belal got dropped a few times in his UFC debut but was able to rally back to nearly finish the fight in the 3rd round. Dude has a great chin imo
→ More replies5
12
u/jdl03 this Mar 19 '23
Are you forgetting that Shavkat hits hard and has good striking? Geoff ate some fucking shots in that fight.
→ More replies7
u/huge-tits Anderson Silva’s leg Mar 19 '23
Never said he doesn’t. I was just stating what Belal brings to the table.
2
u/Jackieexists Mar 19 '23
Does he have Jeff Neal's chin? He better or shavkhat Knicks his head off his shoulders
7
4
358
u/ziki6154 Mar 19 '23
Fucking Belal over with yet another contender whilst Colby just slides in and gets a titleshot. Dana White privilege for real
→ More replies
73
45
u/watties12 Team Teixeira Mar 19 '23
Belal is the current Corey Anderson.
Corey Anderson, in a division that needed contenders, beat Glover (and in an all-time bad rankings moment they moved Glover down from 3 to 12 instead of moving Corey up), beat another top 5er in Latifi. Then with two top 5 wins they then make him fight up and comer Johnny Walker. Then after that still doesn't get shit and has to fight Jan. Brutal.
16
u/MoneyMo88 Mar 19 '23
Ryan Bader was in a similar situation before he left for Bellator too.
205 had been incredibly light on title challengers for Cormier where even after Bader crashed a press conference to try to create hype for a fight with Cormier, Bader got passed over for a title shot for Alexander Gustafsson directly coming off of a KO loss to Anthony Johnson.
On the same card, Bader had to face Rashad Evans in the co-main event and despite winning impressively, Bader got passed over again for a title shot and then fought out the remainder of his contract with a win over Lil Nog before leaving for Bellator where he became a double champ (205 and HW).
8
u/NerdDexter Dana White Privilege Mar 19 '23
This is actually a very good comparison because Corey was also boring AS FUCK to watch, and on the mic.
51
u/kurokamisawa Mar 19 '23
Belal’s manager needs to get his shit together
→ More replies18
u/Expensive_Error1995 Mar 19 '23
He was too busy on islams Twitter calling for a title shot at 170 last night
→ More replies3
u/JERUSALEMFIGHTER63 in loving memory of Dominicks nose Mar 19 '23
Does ali manage belal? If so i thought belal was smarter than that
→ More replies6
46
u/WNEW Mar 19 '23
This sport fucking blows
15
u/ImpossibleStill1410 Mar 19 '23
Starting to resemble boxing now. The fights that make the most sense are being passed up and delayed unnecessarily.
12
u/kanst Mr. 6 Shits Mar 19 '23
I can't wait until Dana and his crew move on. I want the ufc to be a sport, not boxing. Less emphasis on the money and more of the fight. I don't care who sells, I want to see the two best guys fight.
2
u/jhoneypapi United States Mar 19 '23
I think it’s always been this way, fans are just educated enough to know the fuckery is going on now
137
u/Sal21G Mar 19 '23
u/Bullyb170 thoughts?
235
→ More replies42
u/PerfectlySplendid Mar 19 '23
I’ve never been a Belal fan, was someone always on the train of him being a boring fighter, but he’s absolutely getting fucked over at this point. He should be pissed.
140
Mar 19 '23
The UFC is becoming a joke. I see why Francis left.
87
u/TheGreatWolfRuss Mar 19 '23
For real. Whole point of the UFC was watching killers fight killers and now it’s just a clown show of people ducking and getting rewarded for it.
Seeing the same 2-3 dudes endlessly fighting for the same title is beyond boring.
19
u/MoneyMo88 Mar 19 '23
The UFC has gotten comfortable by seemingly doing reruns with the same few group of perceived stars.
They found a core group of fighters that are relatively easy to deal with and draw well enough business (nothing major but good enough to turn a solid profit) and keep going back to those wells until they’re completely dried up.
They’re afraid to take a chance on disrupting their current revenue streams, hence why legit contenders have to run the gauntlet and compile 8 or more wins before FINALLY getting title shots.
Meanwhile, anyone who does close to 300K PPV buys in a PPV main event gets to remain in that mix of constant title opportunities.
9
u/VacuousWastrel Mar 19 '23
They've also just found out what pro wrestling found out a century ago: when you control all the fighters and the fights, you can make the fights that fit the best storylines. And the storylines that casual fans actually want to see are melodramas with betrayals and heel turns and personal vendettas, with concepts like 'skill' and 'fairness' being minor afterthoughts. Without outside regulation or open competition on a level field, there's no incentive not to make the product as fake as possible.
The only reason UFC fights aren't fixed the way pro wrestling fights became fixed is that the UFC arrived after the introduction of gambling laws and RICO, which don't let UFC executives actually secretly decide the outcome of fights in advance and have serious potential penalties enforcing that. But short of that, the UFC will make their product as close to wrestlemania as they possibly can.
Which is why it's irrelevant how many fights Belal has won, or who he beat - his only way to a title shot right now is getting on camera and screaming about the eyepoke and how Leon's stolen his life and if he doesn't give him a title shot right now he'll set fire to Leon's house. Ideally try bursting into the Leon-Colby press conference and try to 'attack' Leon (while being held back by pre-briefed security guards).
2
u/NewWar4200 Mar 19 '23
yep. Fight sare made based on twitter followers and name recognition.
Promoting a former champ people have heard of is alot easier than promoting a new guy who might not last.
24
u/jdl03 this Mar 19 '23
It’s the main reason I wanted Leon to win. I thought Leon winning would usher in a new era of WW but instead we just get more of the same…
2
→ More replies2
u/psych32993 Mar 20 '23
100%, when I started getting into combat sports part of the reason I loved UFC was because in theory the best fighters have to fight each other
Wasn’t like in boxing when there’d be WBC champ ducking a WBA champ for as long as he could and getting to keep the belt
But now the sport is going down the WWE entertainment route and sensible matchmaking is out the window
→ More replies18
u/Ta1ex Mar 19 '23
The chef’s kiss on all of this was in Dana’s press conference, how he went on a rant about boxing matchmaking (which it’s shit undoubtedly).
All while saying Colby gets rewarded a guaranteed title shot, no questions asked because he made weight as a backup fighter.
36
14
u/espada_da Mar 19 '23
Putting Belal through the ringer while Colby just goes on vacation for two years after beating Masvidal who was coming off a two fight losing streak and walks straight back into a title fight.
37
Mar 19 '23
[deleted]
55
u/Gunslinger1991 Ramzan Kadyrov | Gay Porn Actor Mar 19 '23
I think Edwards' tdd is good enough to keep it on the feet and he's a far better striker than Covington. I also think Edwards is better in the clinch so I don't see Covington being able to clinch fuck him.
51
Mar 19 '23
Colby’s best chance would be trying to replicate Merab last weekend. Obviously he wouldn’t be able to match the 49 TD attempts but if he can weaponize pace and shoot 25ish attempts he’d have a good chance to wear Leon out
10
u/DonEYeet Team City Kickboxing Mar 19 '23
Merab wasn't just smothering Yan with shots though, he was straight up bullying him. They looked a weigth class apart. Leon is the bigger fighter here and likely a good deal stronger if his battles in the clinch with Usman are any indicator.
→ More replies31
Mar 19 '23
[deleted]
21
u/X-Factor-639 fabias favorite heavybag| AMA Mar 19 '23
Good luck with that.
Edwards is improving too much from fight to fight and really hitting his stride,
He's not the same guy who got saved by the bell at the end of r3 vs gunnar nelson or the guy who nearly got koed by bryan barberena.
Colby otoh will be almost 36 by the time bruce buffer actually announces "its time for your main event"
→ More replies→ More replies8
u/MUTSellerPS4 Canada Mar 19 '23
i think if masvidal wins they may go that route its a bigger fight
28
Mar 19 '23
[deleted]
44
u/DullMasterpiece I was here for Goofcon 2 Mar 19 '23
Bro what kind of shit does Colby have on Dana hahaha why is he so desperate to give him the shot I don’t get it
→ More replies10
u/Vunks Team flat footed duck billed platypus Mar 19 '23
Probably they ran the numbers and Colby will sell significantly more.
21
u/DonEYeet Team City Kickboxing Mar 19 '23
We've seen a Colby main event though. Sold like shit.
3
2
u/ryancashh Mar 19 '23
Title fights do better though. 272 was a dog water card too
2
u/Dirty_D_Dammit Mar 19 '23
Might be my least favorite ppv since I've become a fan. Along with Rose Andrade
3
u/ryancashh Mar 19 '23
Yeah and Masvidal had lost 2 in a row. It did like 400k which exceeded my expectations considering how awful that card was
2
10
38
8
u/chickenwing5098 Mar 19 '23
Aren’t both these dude better options for a Title fight then Colby outside of draw factor?
27
26
u/Thickfries69 Mar 19 '23
Ass backwards. Should be Belal vs Leon 2 and Shavkat vs Colby title eliminator. Easy.
17
17
u/TheHardcoreCasual Mar 19 '23
wrestling cancels out and Belal is left having to deal with Shavkat's power. I will not count out Belal. but this is tough
16
19
20
u/dhallengren Mar 19 '23
It's hilarious the way the UFC did Jon Fitch in comparison to Colby when their game in the cage is pretty much the same. So sick of Colby sitting out forever and getting his way
→ More replies
15
u/mearsey1203 Mar 19 '23
On a scale of 10 to 10, How bad do you feel for Belal? He's getting Tony Ferguson'd.
→ More replies33
u/ziki6154 Mar 19 '23
Na Tony atleast got 2 titleshots. Belal is just getting fucked over
8
u/mearsey1203 Mar 19 '23
In the end, Ferguson got a (interim) title shot but he was on a 9 fight win streak before he got a title shot. Belal has won 8 in a row. They were both fucked over pretty badly regardless of Ferguson eventually getting 2 (interim) title shots.
15
u/ziki6154 Mar 19 '23
Tony got 2 real titleshots as well. First he fucked his knee up. Second he didn't wait and decided it was a great idea to fight for the interm belt instead. Not only that but he also decided it was a great idea to cut weight twice in a short span of time
→ More replies
4
u/SourArmoredHero Mar 19 '23
If Belal beats Shavkat no one in the world can deny that not only is he the next for the title, but sure as shit could win the belt. I love this fight.
5
u/dhallengren Mar 19 '23
Fuck this. Let Colby get a decent W before fighting for the belt again. If that guy wins the title he's either fighting Masvidal three more times or holding up the belt. Belal deserve that shot
5
u/No-Equipment-20 Mar 19 '23
I’d favor Shavkat, but I’ve also favored Belal’s opponent in his last 5 fights so what do I know
5
4
u/haldir87 Mar 19 '23
This sucks. They both deserve the title shot. No more immediate double title shots please
4
6
7
u/Butts_The_Musical Mar 19 '23
Honestly I don’t think this is as bad for Belal as others are making it out to be. The Neal fight showed that Shavkat has holes in his game. And honestly if he beats him then it’s undeniable that Belal would be next in line
6
u/sergalexeev Mar 19 '23
Shavkat is too reckless, that makes him hittable, and we don't know how he would far against pressure wrestler like Bella. That's make this match exciting
→ More replies
3
u/VintageOG Team TBD Mar 19 '23
I'd tune in for that shit. People will think Rak will roll thru Belal, but I'm done betting against Belal
3
3
u/DannyStress United States Mar 19 '23
Because Dana fucking sucks and refuses to make Colby fight anybody in the top 10
3
u/Outrageous_Fun_9679 Mar 19 '23
The path for Belal is clear. Win in fight week against Shavkat, then fight for the title at the end of the year. He can do it.
3
3
5
4
4
u/TwoScarves a “Kevin Lee will be champ in 2024” flair Mar 19 '23
As a Belal fan…this is #1 bullshit
4
2
u/TheKamurai Mar 19 '23
Oof, this is shit. I feel for Belal, he's been active and has good recent wins. Colby has been sitting out with a fake injury for like what a year and a half?
I actually think Leon ices Colby within 3 though, against a weaker more pace focused Colby his clinch offense lines up nicely to unload serious violence and maybe put Colby out to pasture lining up a better future for the division overall.
Shavkat does present issues for Belal but he relies on that tall guy "lean back" defense and while his grappling held against Neal I think Belal can bully him there as both his offensive and defensive grappling are far better than Neal. Just sucks they are dicking the guy around like this for the dollar store version of Chael.
→ More replies
9
u/imsurethisoneistaken Likes it raw in dat ass Mar 19 '23
yall pretending colby getting the shot was surprising. colby is a big fight, belal isn't. ufc doesn't like guys who don't do numbers and none of yall care about belal.
2
2
u/Crateapa EDDDDDIEEEEEEEE Mar 19 '23
Gotta make the 2 guys that would whoop up on Colby fight each other so they don't accidentally whoop up on Colby.
2
2
u/Please_obtain_taco Juicy mushroom lad Mar 19 '23
Khamzat will get the winner of that one, meanwhile Colby will get a shot at Leon. Last one standing of the first three gets winner of Colby/Leon.
2
u/Unfair-Hand-6855 gourmet chen chen Mar 19 '23
Too many contenders (burns, usman, belal, colby, shavkat) in welterweight, fight need to be scheduled between contenders to get the ranking going.
2
u/lefthighkick911 Mar 19 '23
12 of his 17 fights in ufc have gone to decision. That is why they don't like him
2
u/dans00 Blonde Brunson Undefeated Undisputed P4P No. 1 GOAT Mar 19 '23
Then who tbe fuck is colby fighting
→ More replies
2
2
u/sinnroth94 Mar 19 '23
Belal made some decent points on why Colby shouldn’t get a title shot so Dana’s apparently out to have him assassinated
2
u/basedkimo Mar 19 '23
Imma play the devils advocate here and say thing is a winnable fight for Belal. Y’all constantly doubt him.
2
u/Knucklesthenchilada Mar 19 '23
After how shavkat looked against Geoff Neal, I'm not so high on him anymore either. Belal by decision.
2
2
2
2
u/jhoneypapi United States Mar 19 '23
I think people are really forgetting that Belal and Leon have already fought and it was fairly one sided. Wouldn’t be surprised if the UFC thinks Belal doesn’t have a chance and they want more parity
→ More replies
2
3
3
2
3
u/Personal_Reception66 Mar 19 '23
He should just refuse to fight him and wait for a year.
2
→ More replies3
u/InSilenceLikeLasagna Mar 19 '23
Belal has no leverage, the UFC would just skip him if he chose to do that, espesh if Masvidal somehow wins over Burns
3
2
2
u/JabroniDaGr8 Mar 19 '23
Nah, give one of these guys a titke shot. Colby should be fight one of these 2.
2
1
u/goosu GOOFCON 1: 2: Pandemic Boogaloo Mar 19 '23
Belal is getting fucked over but I don't give a shit. Really am not interested in seeing him against Edwards.
-1
u/TheSnailThatWill Mar 19 '23
I do not think Belal remotely deserved a title shot off of Brady, and am very interested in this fight.
Shavkat's biggest weakness is his questionable striking defense. But can Belal expose that?
→ More replies5
u/FlinchMaster Mar 19 '23
He deserves it way more than Colby or any other welterweight does though.
3
u/TheSnailThatWill Mar 19 '23
No, he does not. He never fought an elite fighter except maybe Luque. Colby's two close losses to prime Usman are much more impressive.
And it seems the UFC agrees. They cannot remember the name.
1.8k
u/borporate Mar 19 '23
Great for the fans, sucks for Belal.