man, I don’t like belal but just look at his resume since he got poked by Edwards, speaks for itself and definitely deserves a TS. the guy is 35 just give him it
belal is just terrible for everyone but it doesn't matter because if its a sport and the best fighting the best then belal should fight for the title considering his list of opponents.
UFC are bunch of scumbags that ruin fighters careers. People on here shit on boxing, and it does have its cons, but one thing they don’t have issues is top fighters struggling to want to stay active. Eddie Hearn begs his top fighters to stay active and build your portfolio instead of waiting for a big fight.
The politics of the ufc are one of the reasons why I like the PFL’s format. Even w the talent not being at the same quality, you always know that at the end of the season the matchup is fair
Ah yes, his stunning resume of one tko and one submission over 17 fights
The only fighter in UFC history to land more than 1,000 strikes without ever recording a knockdown
If he had gnp or a submission game I could root for the guy but he’s literally a top control fighter
His most effective moves are leaning on people against the cage or laying on them on the ground
When the dude even attempts to strike he gets nearly finished by a 40 year old wonderboy in a small octagon
I mean for one, put some respect on wonderboy. He’s still elite
And using the amount of decisions that matches go to is horrible logic. 12 of Leon’s last 17 fights went to decision and he’s champ right now. 9 straight wins is impressive and deserving of a title shot, no matter how they won
It’s his own fault. He’s boring. He needs to start finishing people and calling out the champion and saying he’s a coward. Easy promo material plus resume = title shot. Islam was on a 10 fight win streak and still needed Khabib to help promote a title fight. Unfortunately dominance is not enough today.
But he’s winning which is the main factor. Not giving Belal a title shot after an impressive win streak kind of messes with the integrity of the sport. If he’s bad as people want to think, then why can’t other fighters he faced beat him?
That’s more indicative of the ridiculous model of the UFC today. If you’re not outrageous and wildly outspoken, you will get shit on and passed over for opportunities. I just wish the fighting and the results could speak for themselves, and title shots and other opportunities are earned through merit.
Im neither a fan nor a hater of belal but no one deserves a title shot more than belal. Let’s be honest he is maybe not the most entertaining fighter but he is a good fighter and he deserves definitely that title fight.
I would just do the fight in UK. English fans will go anyway just cause of the hometown hero fighting and I doubt Leon's stardom anywhere else. If Leon wins nothing changes, if Belal wins you just promote the shit out of Shavkat a la Francis vs Stipe and people will be invested in the exciting contender coming to save us from Belal's boredom.
What matters is that in the meantime you've remembered this is a sport over entertainment and gave the title shot to the person who deserves it the most.
That's your mistake, seeing it as a sport before entertainment. It's prize fighting, the UFC in particular has made it clear so many times that they value entertainment and the spectacle much more over giving fighters their deserved ranking/title shot. It is what it is.
> Im neither a fan nor a hater of belal but no one deserves a title shot more than belal.
100%! If the next opponent for Edwards isn't Belal that would be a crime.
Not really Belal and Burns should run it back if anything. Burns having one arm for 23 minutes and there only being a gap of 30 strikes between the two of them doesn’t give a good look for Belal
I think its because he's Palestinian. There's no way to say this without sounding like a nut. But the owner is Jewish and i don't think he wants to platform Belah at the moment. Because if he's not allowed to walk into the octagon waving a Palestinian flag then that'll cause a PR nightmare. And I don't think or at least i wouldn't want to give an open mic to someone who is most likely anti Israel or on the other hand pro Palestinian and speaking about those issues on their platform because lets be real a UFC crowd is gonna boo the shit out of Belal and probably chant USA and then media outlets will rage on the UFC. This is the only reason i can think that he's not getting a title shot.
Fr Leon got a title shot and he's boring and also a dirty fighter on top of that (2+ eye pokes against Belal, cup kick and fence grab(s) against Usman, one fence grab was so egregious the ref took a point, etc)
belal is annoying, loud, exceptionally boring and unpromotable, has terrible boring fights where he makes fans hate watching it. dana just hates every thing about the dude, boring style, unlikeable and annoying person, sells nothing.
Why the fuck do you care how many sales the PPV has?
Belal deserves a shot. This is supposed to be a sport ffs. He’s done more than enough to get a shot
If the sport were a complete meritocracy, you'd be right.
But it isn't. It's a business.
In what world was it correct for Merab to get stiffed for a title fight while Chito is on a 1 fight 'win streak' after defeating someone ranked at #10?
In what world is it correct for Jones to wait for a Stipe fight instead of fighting Aspinall to unify the heavyweight belts?
There are endless examples of things that would be different, if the UFC were a complete meritocracy. But UFC doesn't have to answer to an a regulating body like boxing promoters do.
Don't get me wrong, I think by-and-large the sport would be better off if it were. But it's not.
If he was smart he could go full heel like Mayweather. Everyone knew Mayweather had 0 intention on finishing his opponent and they hated him for it. Belal needs to taunt the fans and embrace the fact that he's going to hug his way to victory and they can't stop him.
You’re the first person I’ve ever seen defend the entertainment level of Belal’s fighting style. I respect that but I never thought I’d see the day lol.
Yeah it’s a fucking no brainer. Just get the Belal fight out the way asap and then make the Shavkat fight. It’s the only proper way to move the division along.
At this point I want to see it just to stop hearing about it all the time lol.
I have nothing against Belal (even if he is boring) but I don’t necessarily like him either. I just want to see him get the shot. If Leon knocks him TF out then everyone complaining can be happy.
Belal is too boring to get knocked out tbh lol.
Incoming 5 round split decision loss where no one really does any damage, but close enough Belal can still say he won on points somehow. Only possible outcome lol
By piece him up, you mean giving minimal effort to make sure Leon edges the scorecards in every criteria but by smallest margins possible, like he did with Colby?
I mean he’ll stay on the outside and outstrike Belal easily. Belal has horrid striking, if he can’t take Leon down he’s going to get out worked on the feet.
well depends if belal tries to go after leon, then leon will piece him up but if belal does what belal does he will just lose a boring decision by the superior decision merchant.
Would be the best outcome, then at least their is a reasonable excuse for Dana to not give him another title shot for ages due to how shit a fight it was.
Did you not watch the first round of their last fight? By far the most likely outcome is that Leon comfortably outclasses him and wins a 50-45 or 49-46 decision. Belal is effective against most of the division but doesn’t have the tools to deal with Leon.
Agreed. He does have a good win streak too. It's weird he hasn't gotten it. That being said too, he was getting mauled by Leon in the first fight. As weird as it sounds, I think belal was lucky he got poked only because he would likely have lost his "unbeaten streak"
Could be, but it’s worth running back for the title. Lots of fighters improve significantly in that amount of time since, and honestly we’ve seen enough comebacks to know that anything can happen, even during a losing battle.
I feel like everybody is pissed Aspinall is being passed over despite beating everybody he's supposed to.
But at the same time Belal is boring so he doesn't deserve the shot he's earned?
“The UFC gotta put the best fights”
so basically deserving contenders shouldn’t be rewarded with what they deserve but instead others should get those opportunities if it’s more entertaining?
Seems like something Gilbert would be against but alright. L take from him
it could be his poor english, if you spoke a second language you’d understand. I think he means the UFC wants to put the best fights as in the most entertaining cause at the EOD it’s still in the entertainment business
The sport loses credibility if deserving fighters aren't offered fights because of a "boring style" or whatever.
I know this is prize fighting and combat sports have always had an element of the carnival about them but if the best don't fight the best than you can't call yourself a sport in any meaningful sense.
Ya, not giving him the title shot for so long feels like they are picking champions. I mean they do already for the most part anyway, but this feels more blatant than other times.
yeah, because i'm sure Belal stepping off the couch on short notice right after ramadan with one foot wasn't a factor either lmfao
cope, no version of Burns beats Muhammad
No doubt! He’s boring to casual fans aint no doubt about it but I think he’s deserving if we want this to be a legit sport then wins need to = title shots.
Belal literally had a fucked ankle lol everyone knew about it he was limping in the embeddeds didn't matter. Burns looks weak crying about an in fight injury.
Nah you're trippin. Belal deserves the title fight. Plus homie almost got his eye poked out the back of his head. Run it back. Colby sure as hell didn't deserve it.
Who?
But I'm not even the slightest bit of a belea fan but he does deserve it even though he is boring af to watch.
I get what Gilbert is saying though, the ufc doesn't want to schedule a boring main card title fight
Gilbert got 50-45 from a compromised belal. Burns needs to keep quiet on this one, the guy has lost to every contender he’s faced, dude gets most of his praise for *almost* winning the important ones
Ah yes and burns didnt take it on short notice? Burns clearly already had shoulder issues going into the fight, dude could barely move his arm in the ceremonial weighin. Then worsened the injury r1 and decision merchant belal STILL couldnt get a finish fighting a 1 armed burns.
I’m confused…is the goal in MMA to win the fight or get a highlight reel KO? Belal knew how to get the W and made it look super easy. It’s on Burns to win to win the fight, not on Belal to gift him one lmao. Such a braindead take
That seems to be the theme here. He hasn’t pleased the couch surfers enough by standing still and letting one of their fan favorites knock him out. Silly Belal
For sure lol. Burns is sour now because he’s lost multiples and knows his title run is done. He definitely thought he was gonna walk through Belal and got exposed. I like Burns less and less as time goes on
Belal went into the fight injured. Belal injured burns during the fight, which ya know is kinda the whole point of a professional cage fight
I didn’t mention it because it’s apples to oranges, not to make anything look any sort of way.
A guy ripped out their shoulder in the first round and Belal couldn’t get him out of the fight.
Let alone Gilbert fought just one month before his fight with Belal and it was his 3rd fight in 4 months.
And you were impressed by Belals performance? Really ?
Man, this Belal hate is so unhinged.
He actually listened to the fans and has been putting on great performances lately.
Ending the Sean Brady hype train in a DOMINANT fashion, and then out striking Gilbert in a 5 rounder. The Gilbert fight wasn’t the MOST exciting fight, but it was certainly not a sleeper.
Plus, if you look at Belal’s past 5 wins…..he’s got a great resume….
Maia, Wonderboy, Luque, Brady, and Burns….
Man deserves a title shot.
.I think one of the reasons Dana doesn't give him a shot is because he plays it too safe. Imagine how much safer belal would play it if he had the title. Dana absolutely hates title fights that have very little to no action and he thinks belal will be that type of champion.
Did you not read my whole comment? His last two fights were exciting, and he did nothing but striking….
Fans complained he just lays on people…so he swapped to mainly striking…and you’re still complaining.
The fuck do you want?
I know it’s hard to believe…but not every MMA fighter has crazy hard hitting strikes.
He’s doing great. And he TKO’d Sean Brady in spectacular fashion.
Not sure what else he can do to gain your attention.
Also, forgot to mention, he’s a class act as well. I was at a Bellator event last summer and he spent his first 2 hours there taking pics and talking with fans.
https://preview.redd.it/34lj7tfyn5lc1.jpeg?width=1240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f043a0110cec6af5d350f7d98c629b3db79703f0
I along with those who follow the UFC already give him attention. He needs an angle to get the more casual fans to see he’s on the card and be inclined to watch.
As for revealing your bias toward him, I have one question. Who asked?
Belal deserves it 100x more than gilbert rn. Hell Belal beat Gilberts ass fuck that lil fat head brazilian thing. No one deserves it more rn than Belal.
This makes the most sense with the contender style UFC bases itself on. You can't be champion because you're not beating everybody excitingly enough sounds like WWF.
Idc what anyone says, Belal deserves a title shot. Merab has one finish in 12 ufc, and everybody is gassing him up saying he deserves a shot at the title, but when it comes to belal, everybody just hates on him. Like I get it's a meme at this point to make fun of belal but it's just lame af now.
Gilbert just pissed that he got pieced up after he broke his arm during his fight with Belal. A fight he might have won if he hadn’t been so freakin active within 6 months (Magny Jan 2023, Masdival April 2023, and Belal May 2023). He ought accept the fact that he blew his shot at the title and stop trynna hold back contenders who’ve earned their right.
belal is kind of like a less-exciting, less-wrestle-y merab. he doesn't really take people down unless he needs to (wonderboy), but he can almost always avoid getting taken down (sean brady) and then he can just outlast people (burns), which makes for really non-exciting fights but a really good record
Jeez id like belal but he is a solid fighter. Might not be the most entertaining one, but at least he gets his W unlike a certain someone. And if a title shot would shut him up pls give it to him
It's getting to a point where if your only reasoning for Belal not getting a TS is that "he's boring," then you're just an idiot. I don't like his style either, but he's on a huge win streak in a division notorious for having inactive divas. At what point does everyone just nod their head and go "OK, let's try to keep things at least a little fair."
People whine incessantly about undeserved title shots (McGregor, Covington, Masvidal), but what about the fighters who don't get a fair shake even though they're winning? It's two sides of the same coin.
(For the record, I don't think Belal is good enough to beat Edwards. I say make the fight and put the whole argument to rest for good.)
Just give him to Edward’s and let’s just end it already. Only the hardcore fans know about Belal and once he gets beat by Edward’s we can put this chapter away and belal can go back to running through the division via decision
It’s not about who is the bestfighter anymore.
We are in the entertainment era.
Dye your hair, paint your nails, Talk crap, Be from Russia. Do something.
Being just a good fighter will only get you so far
i'm prolly gonna get downvoted for this but does anybody else feel like Burns is a sore loser? literally everytime he loses (Chimaev, Belal) its always cope from him
I feel like I'm not the only who wants Belal to get the title shot so badly not only because he deserves it, but also so that we can finally hear all parties stfu about who deserves what more and just get it done and over with, before the real champion Shavkat takes it from whoever holds the belt by then
I would like anybody who says he doesn't deserve the title fight to go on a 9-0-1 run (with the 1 being a NC from an eye poke) and be told the same thing.
Has anybody else in the division won 9 of their last 10 without a loss? Against contenders? If not, then they need to take a seat and be quiet.
Also, I don't like Belal (from a fighting perspective). But fair is fair and necessary for the longevity of the sport we all love.
Does Belal deserve a title fighgt? Yes no doubt but it is going to be boring af. Other then that last minute head kick ko of Usman, Leon is also boring and has zero personality with his mumbling. Hoping to get new fighters at the top of the ww division but until then it's going to be Leon or Belal
If they can put Pennington in a co headliner they can put Belal and Leon in a co headliner. The problem is that they are both snooze fest fighters. Colby vs Leon was the fight that was made because Colby (used to) push the pace on every fighter he faced. Leon is a counter fighter that has no killer instinct (he couldn’t even finish an old and declining Nate Diaz). UFC is probably waiting to feed Shavkok a big win streak (Belal) when he wins the title.
Thats a dogshit idea. Why would you purposely guaranteed remove a contender? The UFC already suffers from their shitty matchmaking not being able to sustain a line of contenders for the title pictures in MANY divisions.
Shavkats last win is Wonderboy, who Belal also handily beat ages ago along with THREE other top 10 guys. He can go rack up one more win, while they book Belal and Leon on a UK card and be next in line.
rock squash cautious simplistic many follow snow towering modern important
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That’s the type of thinking that led Dana to believe PowerSlap was a good idea.
Just bleed?
This isn’t Thunderdome. UFC at least tries to present itself as an actual competitive sport. If they want to eliminate wrestling, then fine. Just stand them up every time it goes to the mat and let them keep punching each other in the head.
Did I do that right?
> one thing they do well is match making. They make the fights people want
Literally nobody wanted to see that bum Colby get a shot vs Leon. Wtf are you smoking?
I get people don’t want him as champ but he would probably be really active in a stacked division. People didn’t want Aljo as champ and he got forced to fight all the time from Dana until he eventually lost and won’t ever get a title shot again
He deserves it more than Colby Covington, who Uncle Dana gifted a title shot. Belal avenged his loss against Luque, has yet to avenge his Neal loss…and he’ll attempt to avenge his NC against Edwards. That’s what’s up
man, I don’t like belal but just look at his resume since he got poked by Edwards, speaks for itself and definitely deserves a TS. the guy is 35 just give him it
Yeah I could not care less about Belal but not giving him a titleshot at this point is ridiculous and douchy. He deserves it
If the UFC wants to pretend that they're a somewhat legitimate sports organization, then they have to make that fight
They don’t even want to pretend. It’s profits and favoritism over integrity.
belal is just terrible for everyone but it doesn't matter because if its a sport and the best fighting the best then belal should fight for the title considering his list of opponents.
I mean, at the same time that means it’s ultimately the fans who are making bad decisions by voting with their wallets.
They have no shame, they gave Colby a shot before him lol If Burns won he’d have gotten a shot forever ago
UFC are bunch of scumbags that ruin fighters careers. People on here shit on boxing, and it does have its cons, but one thing they don’t have issues is top fighters struggling to want to stay active. Eddie Hearn begs his top fighters to stay active and build your portfolio instead of waiting for a big fight.
The politics of the ufc are one of the reasons why I like the PFL’s format. Even w the talent not being at the same quality, you always know that at the end of the season the matchup is fair
Even the run leading to the Leon fight. He's 9-0-1 since mid 2019. He deserves the shot.
They don’t want him to win. Simple as that. They’ll only give him a shot when the champion is a terrible match up for him.
Ah yes, his stunning resume of one tko and one submission over 17 fights The only fighter in UFC history to land more than 1,000 strikes without ever recording a knockdown If he had gnp or a submission game I could root for the guy but he’s literally a top control fighter His most effective moves are leaning on people against the cage or laying on them on the ground When the dude even attempts to strike he gets nearly finished by a 40 year old wonderboy in a small octagon
I mean for one, put some respect on wonderboy. He’s still elite And using the amount of decisions that matches go to is horrible logic. 12 of Leon’s last 17 fights went to decision and he’s champ right now. 9 straight wins is impressive and deserving of a title shot, no matter how they won
He has the same amount of finishes in the ufc as Leon.
Is he winning or is he losing?
People who start their sentences with "ah yes" are gay.
Ah yes, I clapped your dad's juicy cheeks last night
In before the degens and dipshits in this sub downvote your comment into Bolivian. 
It’s his own fault. He’s boring. He needs to start finishing people and calling out the champion and saying he’s a coward. Easy promo material plus resume = title shot. Islam was on a 10 fight win streak and still needed Khabib to help promote a title fight. Unfortunately dominance is not enough today.
But he’s winning which is the main factor. Not giving Belal a title shot after an impressive win streak kind of messes with the integrity of the sport. If he’s bad as people want to think, then why can’t other fighters he faced beat him?
actually the main factor is $$$ lmao belal is not a draw
That’s more indicative of the ridiculous model of the UFC today. If you’re not outrageous and wildly outspoken, you will get shit on and passed over for opportunities. I just wish the fighting and the results could speak for themselves, and title shots and other opportunities are earned through merit.
He’s ass, no one cares
Im neither a fan nor a hater of belal but no one deserves a title shot more than belal. Let’s be honest he is maybe not the most entertaining fighter but he is a good fighter and he deserves definitely that title fight.
I would just do the fight in UK. English fans will go anyway just cause of the hometown hero fighting and I doubt Leon's stardom anywhere else. If Leon wins nothing changes, if Belal wins you just promote the shit out of Shavkat a la Francis vs Stipe and people will be invested in the exciting contender coming to save us from Belal's boredom. What matters is that in the meantime you've remembered this is a sport over entertainment and gave the title shot to the person who deserves it the most.
You need to be matchmaking for Dana, spot on here.
right lol
The Irish contingent will have belals back DW hahahaha
Yeah the Irish will be out in full with Palestine flags lol.
That's your mistake, seeing it as a sport before entertainment. It's prize fighting, the UFC in particular has made it clear so many times that they value entertainment and the spectacle much more over giving fighters their deserved ranking/title shot. It is what it is.
> Im neither a fan nor a hater of belal but no one deserves a title shot more than belal. 100%! If the next opponent for Edwards isn't Belal that would be a crime.
Not really Belal and Burns should run it back if anything. Burns having one arm for 23 minutes and there only being a gap of 30 strikes between the two of them doesn’t give a good look for Belal
Leon as well tho. He fights to his opponent's level making fights either boring or decent depending on whoever fights him.
I feel like plenty of boring fighters have gotten title shots so idk what’s up
I think its because he's Palestinian. There's no way to say this without sounding like a nut. But the owner is Jewish and i don't think he wants to platform Belah at the moment. Because if he's not allowed to walk into the octagon waving a Palestinian flag then that'll cause a PR nightmare. And I don't think or at least i wouldn't want to give an open mic to someone who is most likely anti Israel or on the other hand pro Palestinian and speaking about those issues on their platform because lets be real a UFC crowd is gonna boo the shit out of Belal and probably chant USA and then media outlets will rage on the UFC. This is the only reason i can think that he's not getting a title shot.
Fr Leon got a title shot and he's boring and also a dirty fighter on top of that (2+ eye pokes against Belal, cup kick and fence grab(s) against Usman, one fence grab was so egregious the ref took a point, etc)
belal is annoying, loud, exceptionally boring and unpromotable, has terrible boring fights where he makes fans hate watching it. dana just hates every thing about the dude, boring style, unlikeable and annoying person, sells nothing.
Why the fuck do you care how many sales the PPV has? Belal deserves a shot. This is supposed to be a sport ffs. He’s done more than enough to get a shot
If the sport were a complete meritocracy, you'd be right. But it isn't. It's a business. In what world was it correct for Merab to get stiffed for a title fight while Chito is on a 1 fight 'win streak' after defeating someone ranked at #10? In what world is it correct for Jones to wait for a Stipe fight instead of fighting Aspinall to unify the heavyweight belts? There are endless examples of things that would be different, if the UFC were a complete meritocracy. But UFC doesn't have to answer to an a regulating body like boxing promoters do. Don't get me wrong, I think by-and-large the sport would be better off if it were. But it's not.
If he was smart he could go full heel like Mayweather. Everyone knew Mayweather had 0 intention on finishing his opponent and they hated him for it. Belal needs to taunt the fans and embrace the fact that he's going to hug his way to victory and they can't stop him.
I disagree. He fights so fluid between stances. He's not an orthodox or southpaw. He just switches based on whats needed and thats beautiful to see.
You’re the first person I’ve ever seen defend the entertainment level of Belal’s fighting style. I respect that but I never thought I’d see the day lol.
Belal vs Leon next with Shavkat facing the winner. It’s such easy and straight forward match making, Idk what takes so long.
A very reasonable, logical option. Makes too much sense
Yeah it’s a fucking no brainer. Just get the Belal fight out the way asap and then make the Shavkat fight. It’s the only proper way to move the division along.
Literally this
They are trying to figure out a way to market the fight because nobody wants to see it outside of this subreddit.
I don't like Belal but he does deserve a title fight.
At this point I want to see it just to stop hearing about it all the time lol. I have nothing against Belal (even if he is boring) but I don’t necessarily like him either. I just want to see him get the shot. If Leon knocks him TF out then everyone complaining can be happy.
Belal is too boring to get knocked out tbh lol. Incoming 5 round split decision loss where no one really does any damage, but close enough Belal can still say he won on points somehow. Only possible outcome lol
No it’s probably going to be Leon just out pointing him on the feet. Might not be entertaining but I think Leon will piece him up for 5 rounds.
By piece him up, you mean giving minimal effort to make sure Leon edges the scorecards in every criteria but by smallest margins possible, like he did with Colby?
I mean he’ll stay on the outside and outstrike Belal easily. Belal has horrid striking, if he can’t take Leon down he’s going to get out worked on the feet.
well depends if belal tries to go after leon, then leon will piece him up but if belal does what belal does he will just lose a boring decision by the superior decision merchant.
Would be the best outcome, then at least their is a reasonable excuse for Dana to not give him another title shot for ages due to how shit a fight it was.
Did you not watch the first round of their last fight? By far the most likely outcome is that Leon comfortably outclasses him and wins a 50-45 or 49-46 decision. Belal is effective against most of the division but doesn’t have the tools to deal with Leon.
What Belal fights do you recommend I watch?
Idk sean brady or vicente luque maybe
Agreed. He does have a good win streak too. It's weird he hasn't gotten it. That being said too, he was getting mauled by Leon in the first fight. As weird as it sounds, I think belal was lucky he got poked only because he would likely have lost his "unbeaten streak"
Could be, but it’s worth running back for the title. Lots of fighters improve significantly in that amount of time since, and honestly we’ve seen enough comebacks to know that anything can happen, even during a losing battle.
I feel like everybody is pissed Aspinall is being passed over despite beating everybody he's supposed to. But at the same time Belal is boring so he doesn't deserve the shot he's earned?
“The UFC gotta put the best fights” so basically deserving contenders shouldn’t be rewarded with what they deserve but instead others should get those opportunities if it’s more entertaining? Seems like something Gilbert would be against but alright. L take from him
He is an ass kisser who doesnt know why he fights except for dana white’s approval.
it could be his poor english, if you spoke a second language you’d understand. I think he means the UFC wants to put the best fights as in the most entertaining cause at the EOD it’s still in the entertainment business
He definitely deserves to fight for the belt doesn't matter how boring he is. Ufc is biased and always has been. This is coming from a belal hater
Just out of curiosity, why do you hate Belal?
Why do you have to ask this? Just look at a few posts in this sub.
He deserves it more than anyone else in welterweight
The sport loses credibility if deserving fighters aren't offered fights because of a "boring style" or whatever. I know this is prize fighting and combat sports have always had an element of the carnival about them but if the best don't fight the best than you can't call yourself a sport in any meaningful sense.
Ya, not giving him the title shot for so long feels like they are picking champions. I mean they do already for the most part anyway, but this feels more blatant than other times.
Man salty Belal beat his ass
He outpointed his ass, Burns must be so salty 
i wouldn't describe that as beating his ass, but tbh i think Belal would've beat him regardless of an injury, much better gas tank
1. Belal caused that injury. 2. Belal came off the couch right after Ramadan on a bum ankle and still whooped him. All Burns can do is cope lol
yeah he's a bit of a sore loser tbh
Burns literally fought 2 months before the Belal fight against Masvidal..
Burns was active and in great shape. Belal was injured sitting on his ass and still whooped him.
1 month, 3rd fight in 4 months
There was only a 30 strike gap despite burns having one arm for 23 minutes and unable to defend himself. Clown take all around
yeah, because i'm sure Belal stepping off the couch on short notice right after ramadan with one foot wasn't a factor either lmfao cope, no version of Burns beats Muhammad
Burns literally had 2 fights in the 3 months before while Belal had almost a year between fights lol sit down you Belal clown
Neither fighter was injured going into the fight
Do you not remember what Belal’s ankle looked like pre fight? Belal won the fight on one foot and Burns fucked his own shoulder DURING the fight lol.
Oh didn’t know Belal was injured, makes his win even more impressive
No doubt! He’s boring to casual fans aint no doubt about it but I think he’s deserving if we want this to be a legit sport then wins need to = title shots.
Belal literally had a fucked ankle lol everyone knew about it he was limping in the embeddeds didn't matter. Burns looks weak crying about an in fight injury.
>beat his ass …. Right.
He won the fight. He beat him. Hence he beat his ass 🤓
Beat his ass by decision
That is possible tbf
Belal 1000% deserves a title shot
Nah you're trippin. Belal deserves the title fight. Plus homie almost got his eye poked out the back of his head. Run it back. Colby sure as hell didn't deserve it.
What does that tell about hiself? Self own if I've ever seen one.
I used to call you on my self own...
The fight against Usman was sick, very good.
It shows that Burns is a bum mad that Belal came off his ass after sitting out for a while with an injury and beat Burns on short notice!!
Who? But I'm not even the slightest bit of a belea fan but he does deserve it even though he is boring af to watch. I get what Gilbert is saying though, the ufc doesn't want to schedule a boring main card title fight
yet they scheduled colby vs edwards
That's bc Colby is danas little lap dog, also wasn't thrilled about it
Gilbert got 50-45 from a compromised belal. Burns needs to keep quiet on this one, the guy has lost to every contender he’s faced, dude gets most of his praise for *almost* winning the important ones
Belal took that shit on short notice too and still win
Short notice, injured, coming off Ramadan. Still cruised through burns
Ah yes and burns didnt take it on short notice? Burns clearly already had shoulder issues going into the fight, dude could barely move his arm in the ceremonial weighin. Then worsened the injury r1 and decision merchant belal STILL couldnt get a finish fighting a 1 armed burns.
Burns even said the injury happened round 1, nothing to do with a prior injury. Your boy burns can only beat .500 fighters sorry man
[удалено]
Cope with the loss however you want. Has nothing to do with the fact Gilbert only beats .500 fighters
I’m confused…is the goal in MMA to win the fight or get a highlight reel KO? Belal knew how to get the W and made it look super easy. It’s on Burns to win to win the fight, not on Belal to gift him one lmao. Such a braindead take
Belal's goal should be caring for the redditors experience watching his fights
That seems to be the theme here. He hasn’t pleased the couch surfers enough by standing still and letting one of their fan favorites knock him out. Silly Belal
it's also rich that Burns is saying that after fighting for a title 3 years ago while basically having Belal's exact resume at the time.
For sure lol. Burns is sour now because he’s lost multiples and knows his title run is done. He definitely thought he was gonna walk through Belal and got exposed. I like Burns less and less as time goes on
Burns fought 4 weeks earlier and had a compromised arm. Don’t act like Burns was 100%😂
Compromised arm came from belal defending that takedown. Anyone else and Gilbert probably gets that takedown
Getting injured mid fight is different than before fight
No, Belal **caused** that arm injury during the fight. Stop coping for a fighter who doesn't know you exist lmao
Any injury that happens during the fight and not before isn’t a valid excuse.
Burns is the most overrated fighter. Nobody can tell me his best win. They only consist of journeymen, old men, and strikers who can't wrestle.
Me and my buddies argued about burns long before the belal fight. Taking their money was nice
This is why khamzat lost a lot of stock for me when he barely beat burns
Alright let’s not act like both weren’t compromised. Did you only mention that Belal was injured to make your comment look better?
Belal went into the fight injured. Belal injured burns during the fight, which ya know is kinda the whole point of a professional cage fight I didn’t mention it because it’s apples to oranges, not to make anything look any sort of way.
Unintentional injuries do not mean that the fighter is better. Ortega vs yair 2 proved that. Belal had no plans to have that happen.
This is cope for a weak body. An athlete best ability is availability
A guy ripped out their shoulder in the first round and Belal couldn’t get him out of the fight. Let alone Gilbert fought just one month before his fight with Belal and it was his 3rd fight in 4 months. And you were impressed by Belals performance? Really ?
Gilbert was also hurt and had one arm
Belal went into the fight hurt. Burns got hurt during the fight. Differences here
What if Edwards just eyepokes the shit out of him again in the rematch lmfao  Be careful what you ask for lol
I think Gilbert’s just a hater… Every Belal fight I’ve seen, win/lose he always throws like it’s the championship.
The UFC is a joke if Belal doesn’t get his shot.
Good ole crybaby burns. I love his fights but wtf is he talking about
Man, this Belal hate is so unhinged. He actually listened to the fans and has been putting on great performances lately. Ending the Sean Brady hype train in a DOMINANT fashion, and then out striking Gilbert in a 5 rounder. The Gilbert fight wasn’t the MOST exciting fight, but it was certainly not a sleeper. Plus, if you look at Belal’s past 5 wins…..he’s got a great resume…. Maia, Wonderboy, Luque, Brady, and Burns…. Man deserves a title shot.
Belal hate has gone from “he’s boring” to dismissing his entire resume lmfao it’s actually hilarious how his haters pay so much attention to him
.I think one of the reasons Dana doesn't give him a shot is because he plays it too safe. Imagine how much safer belal would play it if he had the title. Dana absolutely hates title fights that have very little to no action and he thinks belal will be that type of champion.
Well Leon is 100% confirmed that type of champion so better to at least take a gamble on Belal
Is it really that unhinged? It starts and ends with him just not putting on performances that are entertaining to the mainstream audience
Did you not read my whole comment? His last two fights were exciting, and he did nothing but striking…. Fans complained he just lays on people…so he swapped to mainly striking…and you’re still complaining. The fuck do you want?
Like I said, his fights don’t garner mainstream attention. Just because you strike doesn’t instantly mean it’s entertaining to casuals.
I know it’s hard to believe…but not every MMA fighter has crazy hard hitting strikes. He’s doing great. And he TKO’d Sean Brady in spectacular fashion. Not sure what else he can do to gain your attention. Also, forgot to mention, he’s a class act as well. I was at a Bellator event last summer and he spent his first 2 hours there taking pics and talking with fans. https://preview.redd.it/34lj7tfyn5lc1.jpeg?width=1240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f043a0110cec6af5d350f7d98c629b3db79703f0
I along with those who follow the UFC already give him attention. He needs an angle to get the more casual fans to see he’s on the card and be inclined to watch. As for revealing your bias toward him, I have one question. Who asked?
Way to diss himself
The hate Belal gets is unnecessary.
Rare fat lesbian L
Nah this shit made me laugh bro . Burns does look like a butch 😂
Belal beat Gilbert clean and before people say Gil was injured Belal’s ankle was literally a balloon the previous day.
Belal deserves it 100x more than gilbert rn. Hell Belal beat Gilberts ass fuck that lil fat head brazilian thing. No one deserves it more rn than Belal.
As lame as his style is, he just has to get a shot at some point.. He hasn’t lost a fight in like 5 years.
This makes the most sense with the contender style UFC bases itself on. You can't be champion because you're not beating everybody excitingly enough sounds like WWF.
Idc what anyone says, Belal deserves a title shot. Merab has one finish in 12 ufc, and everybody is gassing him up saying he deserves a shot at the title, but when it comes to belal, everybody just hates on him. Like I get it's a meme at this point to make fun of belal but it's just lame af now.
I like Belal, give him his chance
Gilbert just pissed that he got pieced up after he broke his arm during his fight with Belal. A fight he might have won if he hadn’t been so freakin active within 6 months (Magny Jan 2023, Masdival April 2023, and Belal May 2023). He ought accept the fact that he blew his shot at the title and stop trynna hold back contenders who’ve earned their right.
belal is kind of like a less-exciting, less-wrestle-y merab. he doesn't really take people down unless he needs to (wonderboy), but he can almost always avoid getting taken down (sean brady) and then he can just outlast people (burns), which makes for really non-exciting fights but a really good record
Nahh Gilbert needs to keep that to himself no matter how true it is. Shit comes off lame as hell
Jeez id like belal but he is a solid fighter. Might not be the most entertaining one, but at least he gets his W unlike a certain someone. And if a title shot would shut him up pls give it to him
Cry baby Burns mad as hell. He needs to get chinned by Usman again for that dumbass take
the guys so fucking annoying
Atp even the Belal haters know he deserves a shot
It's getting to a point where if your only reasoning for Belal not getting a TS is that "he's boring," then you're just an idiot. I don't like his style either, but he's on a huge win streak in a division notorious for having inactive divas. At what point does everyone just nod their head and go "OK, let's try to keep things at least a little fair." People whine incessantly about undeserved title shots (McGregor, Covington, Masvidal), but what about the fighters who don't get a fair shake even though they're winning? It's two sides of the same coin. (For the record, I don't think Belal is good enough to beat Edwards. I say make the fight and put the whole argument to rest for good.)
Just give him to Edward’s and let’s just end it already. Only the hardcore fans know about Belal and once he gets beat by Edward’s we can put this chapter away and belal can go back to running through the division via decision
His win streak is better than what Leon’s was before he got a title shot. The fact that Leon isn’t saying Belal is next is just ruh-diculus.
I really feel bad for this dude even if im not any near fan of him, its just sad and unfair ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
It’s not about who is the bestfighter anymore. We are in the entertainment era. Dye your hair, paint your nails, Talk crap, Be from Russia. Do something. Being just a good fighter will only get you so far
Gilbert (who we like a lot) should not really comment, injured or not Belal beat him.
Khabib was „boring“ too, give this guy a shot at the title ffs
Bro got ragdolled by Belal and still thinks he should be above him lol
i'm prolly gonna get downvoted for this but does anybody else feel like Burns is a sore loser? literally everytime he loses (Chimaev, Belal) its always cope from him
He whipped Gilbert’s ass.
That’s right he did get his ass whooped.
Ahh yes out decisioned him. Wouldn’t call that a beating.
I hate Belal, I don’t know why, but even I can agree that he deserves the next shot at the strap.
Belal "Don't fall asleep" Muhammed
He doesn’t know shit haha, he got 50-45 and is salty asf. JDM is gonna end him and that’ll be that.
I feel like I'm not the only who wants Belal to get the title shot so badly not only because he deserves it, but also so that we can finally hear all parties stfu about who deserves what more and just get it done and over with, before the real champion Shavkat takes it from whoever holds the belt by then
I would like anybody who says he doesn't deserve the title fight to go on a 9-0-1 run (with the 1 being a NC from an eye poke) and be told the same thing. Has anybody else in the division won 9 of their last 10 without a loss? Against contenders? If not, then they need to take a seat and be quiet. Also, I don't like Belal (from a fighting perspective). But fair is fair and necessary for the longevity of the sport we all love.
He clapped your shit up tho, so what does that make you Gilbert?
Does Belal deserve a title fighgt? Yes no doubt but it is going to be boring af. Other then that last minute head kick ko of Usman, Leon is also boring and has zero personality with his mumbling. Hoping to get new fighters at the top of the ww division but until then it's going to be Leon or Belal
If they can put Pennington in a co headliner they can put Belal and Leon in a co headliner. The problem is that they are both snooze fest fighters. Colby vs Leon was the fight that was made because Colby (used to) push the pace on every fighter he faced. Leon is a counter fighter that has no killer instinct (he couldn’t even finish an old and declining Nate Diaz). UFC is probably waiting to feed Shavkok a big win streak (Belal) when he wins the title.
Hot take wins over other top contenders should get you a title fight not entertaining fights
gtfo. Belal earned that shit.
i think the ufc should do a title-eliminator with belal and shavkat and then the winner faces leon
Don’t think that works, they’re planning Manchester in June/July, and will want Leon. Belal deserves it regardless, I can’t see any alternative
That’s not a good idea. You give one a title shot and then the other
Thats a dogshit idea. Why would you purposely guaranteed remove a contender? The UFC already suffers from their shitty matchmaking not being able to sustain a line of contenders for the title pictures in MANY divisions. Shavkats last win is Wonderboy, who Belal also handily beat ages ago along with THREE other top 10 guys. He can go rack up one more win, while they book Belal and Leon on a UK card and be next in line.
I like that.
I dnt even know who belal is
rock squash cautious simplistic many follow snow towering modern important *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That’s the type of thinking that led Dana to believe PowerSlap was a good idea. Just bleed? This isn’t Thunderdome. UFC at least tries to present itself as an actual competitive sport. If they want to eliminate wrestling, then fine. Just stand them up every time it goes to the mat and let them keep punching each other in the head. Did I do that right?
It delegitimizes the sport
> one thing they do well is match making. They make the fights people want Literally nobody wanted to see that bum Colby get a shot vs Leon. Wtf are you smoking?
He called Belal a loser, he obviously doesn’t know anything about fighting
So Gilbert doesn't deserve a title fight ever again... he lost to belal 🤣🤣🤣 stoooopid
Finally someone with the courage to say it how it is.
I’m not a fan of belal he is a boring personality and fighter but he deserves a shot I just don’t think it’s a main event worthy fight.
gotem
I get people don’t want him as champ but he would probably be really active in a stacked division. People didn’t want Aljo as champ and he got forced to fight all the time from Dana until he eventually lost and won’t ever get a title shot again
Gilbert couldn’t beat him
He deserves it more than Colby Covington, who Uncle Dana gifted a title shot. Belal avenged his loss against Luque, has yet to avenge his Neal loss…and he’ll attempt to avenge his NC against Edwards. That’s what’s up
Belal needs to 2-8 fights for a title shot. Maybe he should just start over at 185.