The journey of Belal Muhammad took an abrupt turn on Saturday night. After beginning 2025 as the UFC welterweight champion, Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) now finds himself on the first two-fight losing streak of his professional career. He lost the title to Jack Della Maddalena in May, and then suffered a unanimous-decision defeat to Ian Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) on the main card of UFC Fight Night 265 in Doha, Qatar.
But instead of retreating into blame or excuses, Muhammad offered a composed, forward-looking response.
A Career First and a Quarter-Life Moment
Muhammad had never lost back-to-back fights in his MMA career.