UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad is happy to play heel for TV. Muhammad endured loud booing at UFC 288 at the pre-fight press conference before he faced Gilbert Burns. In the moment, Muhammad told the assembled fans: “For all the fans out there booing, now I know why the Nets left New Jersey and they’re in Brooklyn. Cause you guys suck!”
In a recent interview with MMAFighting, Belal Muhammad discussed embracing his inner bad guy, and why he’s happy to do so as he pushes for the welterweight title.
UFC Welterweight Belal Muhammad Embraces His Inner Bad Guy
“If I have to go heel, I’ll go heel. I’ll never get out of my character. I’ll always have fun with it no matter what, but maybe I’m starting to like that role a little bit.”
Muhammad did clarify that he won’t be taking any cues from another notorious welterweight “bad guy,” Colby “Chaos” Covington.
“I think for me it’s all fun, and I’m starting to like it. It’s not like I’m trying to go stupid, loser Colby [Covington] heel, but I’m going to have fun with the way I do it, with my personality.”
Muhammad is happy, however, to borrow from the classic heel playbook and rev up the local crowds whenever he’s visiting.
“I took this fight on short notice for you guys to bring a fight to Jersey, to give you guys a co-main event, and you guys are going to boo me? Boo me? Freaking Al Iaquinta style? So I’m going to come at you hard.
To me, it’s like I know the people that support me are going to support me no matter what, and there’s people out in the crowd that are just booing to be a part of the crowd. But when I got there and got close to them, they’re asking for pictures. An old lady [said] ‘I don’t know why I was booing, I was just booing because they were booing but you’re such a nice guy.’ It’s so funny how people are.”
The term “heel” (and its opposite, “babyface”) come from old-school professional wrestling. “Heels” were the “bad guys” in the storyline, and for Muhammad, who is a professed WWE fan, the move is a no-brainer. He’s happy to follow in the footsteps of Steve Austin and The Rock.
“I used to watch wrestling in the heyday with ‘The Rock’ and ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin]. Those were some of the best heel guys. The bad guys are some of the most popular guys out there. If I go that road, that will be all right.”
