Rivalries in Mixed Martial Arts aren’t an uncommon thing, especially in the world’s biggest MMA organization – UFC. Almost every weight division seems to have certain athletes that share bad blood with someone or the other. As such, there seems to be no love lost between top welterweight contenders, Belal Muhammad and Colby Covington.
The welterweight belt remained in the safe hands of Kamaru Usman for quite some time. However, after suffering a last-minute viral knockout at UFC 278, the belt switched hands. Leon Edwards has since been sitting on the division’s throne. Needless to say, every welterweight has been fancying their chances to take the belt off of him.
Colby ‘Chaos‘ Covington has previously had two failed attempts at the UFC strap against Kamaru Usman. Despite his last fight being against a fellow two-time failed title challenger, Covington has been given the green signal to face Edwards for the belt next. UFC president Dana White announced the decision at UFC 286 post-fight presser.
Naturally, the news didn’t sit well with certain athletes, Belal Muhammad being one of them. At the time, the 34-year-old was riding an 8-fight win streak. This made his case stronger to face Edwards next. Many UFC personalities, including commentator Jon Anik chimed in to show support for Belal. This seemingly ignited a feud between Colby and Muhammad.
The two have since taken several jibes at each other in all imaginable places – right from post-fight interviews to social media posts. In the midst of the MMA community debating who deserves the title shot more, ‘Remember The Name’ came under scrutiny.
Through a now-deleted tweet, Belal suggested whether Colby’s next title shot has anything to do with the color of his skin. In response to a tweet reporting Edwards’ comments on the Miami native not deserving a title shot, Muhammad wrote – “He’s white.” Not taking too kindly to Belal’s comments, ‘Chaos’ labeled him a racist.
Despite months passing, the two haven’t stopped chattering about one another. Earlier today, Muhammad sparked a fresh controversy surrounding Colby’s current status.
Belal Muhammad makes a bold accusation against Colby Covington
Elite contender Yair Rodriguez won the interim featherweight title at UFC 284. Since then, he has been preparing for a war against reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski for their UFC 290 scheduled bout. In his training camp, he appears to be hanging out and potentially training with Belal Muhammad.
A Twitter user took notice of this and posted a picture of the duo which caught Muhammad’s attention. He retweeted the said picture. However, a comment underneath seems to have ignited fresh controversy.
A fan asked Belal if he would fight Covington for the interim welterweight belt. They wrote – “you vs Colby for the interim title maybe?” Known for his swift replies, the 34-year-old said, “Usada popped him for herpes.”
Usada popped him for herpes https://t.co/qZ86HgWXYY
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 22, 2023
Whether ‘Chaos’ actually carries the aforementioned s*xually transmitted disease with himself, we don’t know as of yet. It is also unclear if Belal made the claim in a humorous tone or if he knows something that we don’t. The curious fans will have to wait until Muhammad can attach some clarification on an accusation so strong.
Very few fighters can take Colby’s harsh words and have something to give in return. Belal seems to be one of those individuals. So there also lies speculation that this is just a part of Belal’s mind games. Fans do expect Colby to respond to this claim with his signature grin in a future interview.
This isn’t the first time ‘Chaos’ has been accused of having herpes
Jorge Masvidal‘s rivalry with Colby Covington has been well-documented in the MMA world. Once best friends, the two turned into bitter rivals.
The duo has thrown shade at each other for the longest time. Thankfully for the fans, Colby and Jorge got to settle their beef through a scheduled bout at UFC 272. Ahead of their fight, ‘Gamebred’ dropped a shocking claim about his former roommate.
Hope you took your valtrex this week @ColbyCovMMA
— BMF.eth (@GamebredFighter) March 3, 2022
Masvidal wrote in tweet – “Hope you took your valtrex this week @ColbyCovMMA” For fans unaware, Valtrex is a medicine used to treat herpes. Jorge never explained nor elaborated on his above-mentioned claim. However, during his face-off with Colby at the pre-fight presser, the 38-year-old said that Covington “still” has herpes, having been infected by his ex-girlfriend.
Good thing we brought extra security 🤬
[ #UFC272 | Saturday | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/A6HVDURxXf ] pic.twitter.com/vjAXeEGvZo
— UFC (@ufc) March 4, 2022
During one of their verbal exchanges, Jorge said, “You’ve still got mad herpes bro… Still got mad herpes… [from] your ex-girlfriend.” Masvidal even went on The Joe Rogan Experience to talk about the same.
In one of the most highly touted bouts backed by genuine bad blood, ‘Chaos’ got the better of Masvidal by securing a win over him after a 5-round wrestling masterclass.
