Belal Muhammad is happy to engage in a war of words with Ian Machado Garry… sort of.
The welterweight contenders are both waiting for their next booking, with the hopes that a big win will rocket them into a title shot. Muhammad aims to regain the welterweight championship after losing it to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, while Garry seeks his first title opportunity following a bounce-back win over Carlos Prates that boosted his UFC record to 9-1.
Garry posted a message to Muhammad on Instagram, telling “Remember the Name” to stop calling for a fight with Kamaru Usman and face him at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 in Muhammad’s hometown of Chicago.
“Belal Muhammad is continuing to call out Kamaru Usman,” Garry said. “Kamaru Usman has said himself that he’s not fighting anytime soon. So why does he keep calling him out? Because he’s avoiding me. He’s now started to mention Sean Brady’s name again, a man who he’s already knocked out. Imagine calling out someone you’ve already knocked out.
“Here’s the truth: Had Belal beat ‘JDM’ he would be fighting me in his hometown of Chicago. So do the right thing. Don’t let your hometown down and accept the fight in Chicago. I’ll see you soon.”
Watch Garry’s post with accompanying caption below.
Belal is playing a political game. I have no time for these games. I’ve said Yes to both him and Brady. Whoever wants it can come get it.
Who would you rather see me face?
Muhammad, always quick to respond to his rivals, had a reply ready for Garry, though his response came off as oddly stilted. Check out Muhammad’s Instagram post below with accompanying caption.
“Ian Garry out here trying to do Conor cosplay with Dollar Tree trash talk,” Muhammad said. “Bro, your lines hit softer than your jab. You sound like a teenager who just discovered McGregor highlight reels. You want to outbox me? Try out-talking me first without embarrassing yourself.
“Until then, go back to rehearsing in the mirror—maybe one day your trash talk will be as sharp as your barber’s fade.”
See you in November, dork.
At the end of the clip, Muhammad revealed his harsh words were the result of a Chat GPT prompt, perhaps suggesting he isn’t taking Garry’s challenge all that seriously.
