'Remember the time'! Recovering champ joins UFC 311 Team Khabib training camp with Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov

Current UFC 170-pound champion Belal Muhammad is back to training. Muhammad recently joined forces with reigning lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev and No. 2-ranking bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov . Both prepare for their respective title fights at the upcoming UFC 311 pay-per-view event on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

The footage of Belal Muhammad prowling around Team American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym suggests 'Remember the Name' is close to a full recovery. He was in rehabilitation earlier this year with a foot bone infection serious enough to force the cancellation of his 170-pound title defense. Muhammad was to go up against welterweight contender and No.1 seed for gold, Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Last month, the Palestinian champ reported almost recovering and ready to train again. Now, he gets to it. Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov has cornered friends and family to successful stints. He also cornered Muhammad for his TKO win over Sean Brady at UFC 280. Team Khabib and Muhammad also got together when he snagged gold at the UFC 304 main event.

FS Video

Islam Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) defended his throne with a fifth-round submission and is prepping for a fourth defense. Umar Nurmagomedov has the opportunity to snag gold as well. So, now they link up with a top crop of the camp and new welterweight champ Muhammad to sharpen the sticks. However, train how much he will, some still think they can fare against 'Remember the Name.'

Kevin Holland sees chance he can knock out Belal Muhammad

For a long time now, Mike Valle's work has been seen in premier MMA. However, 2024 was the year in which his coaching really stood out from the crowd. The veteran coach, who runs the VFS Academy in Chicago, had a hand in the creation of two UFC champions in 2024. Belal Muhammad, the best success story, played his part as well.

A rival thinks he can get the better of Belal Muhammad (Source: X)

Muhammad showed vast improvement, outboxing, grappling, and spiking the former champ in his UFC 304 PPV matchup. Having competed at both 170 pounds and 185 pounds though, Kevin Holland likes it better versus decision merchant Muhammad than Dricus Du Plessis.

Easier fight, I have to say honestly, probably Belal, …People can say what they want to say about Du Plessis, his style is ugly, his style is this, his style is that. He is a gritty motherfu*ker to fight, and it doesn't matter what you're doing…Belal, I really honestly believe (if) I shut down the takedown, Belal gets knocked the fu*k out…

Kevin Holland on Overdogs Podcast with Mike Perry Season 2 (@Overdogspod)

Holland himself meetsReinier de Ridder (18-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 311. There is a chance the trailblazing middleweight gets to face off with Muhammad. That is - should he appear during fight week media interviews for his Team AKA friends. Will Holland dare to drop down and challenge him during fight week? Tune in near January 18 to find out.

(1225 Articles Published)

Dibaas is an avid combat sports enthusiast and an MMA writer at FirstSportz. His knack of the sport started early, ranging as far back as UFC 81: Breaking Point; the first match watched. Barring a few years in the middle, he got back in the fold watching the rise of the likes of Conor McGregor, Kamaru Usman, and others... He also happens to be in the habit of writing, wherein his interests collide. He loves to report on anything and everything within the combat sports bubble. He has helped in freelance social redesign and rebranding for a few Instagram businesses, as well as digital/manual art restoration. He has a year of experience as Community service Associate, 4+ years of experience as a freelance content writer, and a year of experience in target-oriented writing. Currently, he delves into topics of MMA, Boxing, and Kickboxing to the best of his ability and share it with a dedicated audience.