Belal Muhammad calls himself Alex Pereira Jr. ahead of UFC 315

It's no secret that Belal Muhammad is one of the least popular UFC champions right now.
'Remember The Name' had a steady rise to the top, staying undefeated in ten contests before defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to take the belt. Despite dominating top competition in Stephen Thompson, Gilbert Burns, and Vicente Luque, Muhammad has failed to gain fanfare.
He plans to change all this after fighting Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315...
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Belal Muhammad wants to become 'Alex Pereira Jr.', prove value to UFC with championship activity
Speaking with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on YouTube, Muhammad explained exactly how he'll gain favor with the UFC.
"Once I got the title, I'm like, 'Let's do a quick turnaround...' . . . I was ready to fight Shavkat [Rakhmonov], then we caught the injury," Muhammad explained. ". . . For myself, it's like, let's get as many as possible. I wanna be an active champion.
". . . I wanna be that guy where the UFC can count on me and look at me and be like, 'We got [Alex] Pereira Jr. right here, let's just hit him up...'"
Muhammad's recent career has taken a noticeable downturn. He's fought twice since 2022, owing to injuries and time spent waiting for a title shot. He fought four times in 2021, which is on par with the level of activity that saw Pereira's meteoric rise.
First of all, he has to get through Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315.
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Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.
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