"I would rather rewatch Rose vs. Esparza" - Belal Muhammad's plans of making welterweight division great again invites hate comments 

Despite being one of the best fighters in the UFC, Belal Muhammad continues to receive unwarranted flak from fans.

Ahead of UFC 296, Muhammad posted a cryptic graphic on Instagram and X regarding the main event title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington.

Muhammad's post featured a picture of his face edited onto a man taking out the trash with photos of Edwards and Covington in the bin. He captioned the photo on X:

"Welterweight division will be great again soon"

The Chicago native did not have to wait long for critics to shut him down with comments bashing his fighting style pouring in.

One fan stated they would "rather rewatch Rose vs. Esparza" than watch him fight.

Other fans criticized Muhammad's confidence, commenting:

"Mr. split decision back at it again"

"Leon already schooled you though"

"No one wants to see you as champ"

"Please go retire and return to Palestine and back your people"

View more fan reactions to Belal Muhammad's post below:

Fan reactions to Belal Muhammad's X/Twitter post [via @bullyb170 on X]

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Is Belal Muhammad the backup fighter for UFC 296?

After defeating Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision at UFC 288, Belal Muhammad was seemingly guaranteed a title fight by Dana White.

However, Muhammad was passed up for the next opportunity with the UFC later announcing the UFC 296 main event between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington. Many have since wondered if Muhammad would be the backup fighter for the event, though no confirmation has been made.

Muhammad has expressed interest in backing up a title fight before but appeared disinterested in the idea of taking on that role in the upcoming title fight. In an X post, he stated that he disliked the idea of being the backup and wanted to be the "front up."

With Brandon Moreno recently announced as the backup for the co-main event flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, the official welterweight replacement fighter could be made public soon.