Former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria made a snide remark about the current UFC welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, on the Joe Rogan podcast recently. In his conversation with Joe Rogan, he would discuss how a fighter shouldn’t focus on the entertainment of their fights and instead should concentrate on dominating their opponents. Something that Topuria would agree to, but as he would agree with Joe Rogan, he would also say this:
At the same time, you don’t have to be Belal.
Why’d Belal catch a stray
pic.twitter.com/HEROeN4AaH
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) April 17, 2025
This wouldn’t be the first time two champions have taken shots at each other, as Topuria has thrown insults at Belal Muhammad multiple times in the past, and from the looks of it, that likely won’t change in the future.
Ilia Topuria is a perfect combination of skill and brutality.
The reason why Ilia Topuria has so many supporters and doubters isn’t just due to his big boasts and aspirations, which have many calling him an arrogant fighter and hoping for him to lose, especially against all-time greats like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. In which Topuria would figure out both of their styles and proceed to knock out both fighters brutally. Not only that, but his grappling is among some of the best in the world, with black belt-level submissions and phenomenal wrestling skills. Topuria is everything a superstar in MMA can be: exciting, smooth, fun to watch, and seemingly destined to be great.
