Ilia Topuria and Belal Muhammad are engaged in a public feud despite being champions in different UFC weight classes, exchanging insults on social media ahead of their respective title defenses.
Ilia Topuria and Belal Muhammad? Yeah, they’ve got beef. Topuria reigns as the UFC featherweight champ, while Muhammad holds the welterweight title. You’d think a whole weight class between them would mean no drama, right? Wrong.
Topuria’s gearing up for his first title defense, but he couldn’t resist taking a jab at Muhammad during an Instagram Live session. He didn’t mince words about Muhammad’s upcoming fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. “Belal vs. Shavkat? Shavkat,” Topuria declared. Boldly, he labeled Belal a “fake champ” and predicted Kamaru Usman would reclaim the welterweight belt with ease.
Muhammad snagged the welterweight title from Leon Edwards at UFC 304 after Edwards had dethroned Usman and defended his title in their rematch in 2023. Naturally, Muhammad wasn’t thrilled with Topuria’s trash talk. He clapped back on Twitter, comparing Topuria to Colby Covington in a snarky tweet.
Muhammad tweeted: “Didn’t this dork just buy a fake BMF belt to pose with… he’s starting to become the Georgian version of Colby Covington.” That tweet sparked a Twitter war between the champs, each hurling insults at the other.
Topuria fired back with some choice words: “Belal ‘Crotch Sniffer’ Muhammad.” And he didn’t stop there. “NO FINISHES,” “NO KNOCKOUTS,” “NO KNOCKDOWNS,” “NO GIRLFRIEND,” “NO KIDS,” he listed, claiming Belal’s never finished any man or woman.
Muhammad’s response? A sarcastic jab: “Now ur just copying stuff word for word off memes.”
Could this feud be setting the stage for a champ vs. champ showdown? Probably not, given the weight difference. Looks like it’s just some classic beef for entertainment’s sake.
Both fighters have bigger fish to fry anyway. Topuria faces Max Holloway in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. Meanwhile, Muhammad prepares to defend his title against Rakhmonov on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas at UFC 310. So, stay tuned!