Belal Muhammad has a strong opposing viewpoint from Din Thomas on Khamzat Chimaev becoming UFC middleweight champion.
Thomas told MMA Junkie that if Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) dethrones Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), it would be a disaster for the promotion. Thomas expressed concern over Chimaev’s activity and reliability as champion.
Muhammad heavily disagrees with that notion.
“I don’t know what the fudge Din Thomas is talking about, but I think he’s way off on this one,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “I think it’ll be one of the biggest things for the UFC if Chimaev wins the belt. I think he’ll probably be one of the biggest stars, superstars the UFC has. He’s already a star. He already has that invincible aura about him. I think it’s only going to get bigger, especially if he goes out there and dominates Dricus, who’s on a hot streak, and I think he can.”
The former UFC welterweight champion is not only picking Chimaev to beat Du Plessis, but he’s rooting for him.
“I think he can go out there and finish him dominantly, or even like Khabib said, just strike with him,” Muhammad continued. “I think he can outstrike him. I think he’ll make it look easy if he keeps it on the feet. Yeah, Dricus has a chin, he has cardio, he has an awkward style, he has toughness, but I think Chimaev is a lot cleaner.
“If he keeps it standing, I think he’ll be able to keep that pace the whole five rounds and even hurt him. He’s shown a lot of his power, and he’s shown that he’s working hard. He’s only going to get stronger at 185. I do think he can do it dominantly. I know Din Thomas said he won’t be as active, but I think a lot of it just comes from not being able to get in the U.S. Now he’s in the U.S. He’s been training in L.A.”
