Ex-UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (23-5 MMA) is the latest in a growing line of former welterweight UFC champions to fall victim to an unfortunate trend.
Muhammad lost to Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Vegas 118 over the weekend, suffering a third consecutive defeat. ‘Remember The Name’ is now 0-2 since losing his title to Jack Della Maddalena, and joins Tyron Woodley, Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, and Maddalena in a recent pattern of former welterweight champions struggling after surrendering the belt.
If he doesn’t find a victory soon, Muhammad could be thrown to the wolves as new and exciting welterweight prospects look to seize his high-ranking position in the division.
Belal Muhammad Suffers Losing Streak Similar to Kamaru Usman & Leon Edwards
Muhammad was outclassed by Maddalena at UFC 315 where he lost the welterweight title. He was then outstruck by Ian Machado Garry in November 2025, before suffering a third straight defeat against Bonfim.
The champion before Muhammad, Leon Edwards, is also riding a three-fight losing streak. Edwards lost the belt to Muhammad before suffering a submission defeat to Sean Brady and a knockout loss to Carlos Prates.
Before Edwards came Kamaru Usman, who lost back-to-back fights to Edwards before dropping a close decision to Khamzat Chimaev. Prior to him, Tyron Woodley ended his UFC career on a four-fight skid and went on to lose three more boxing matches thereafter. Woodley had taken the belt from Robbie Lawler, who went 3-5 in the UFC after losing the championship.
It’s worth noting that Usman broke his losing streak with a decision victory over Joaquin Buckley in 2025. Despite being 39 and in his 11th year with the UFC, he could be next in line to challenge current champion Islam Makhachev.
Overall, former UFC welterweight champions since Lawler are 1-14 in UFC fights after losing their belts (including title fight losses). Without Usman’s comeback win against Buckley, they would be winless, offering little hope for those currenly in the loss column.
Will Islam Makhachev Break the Mold?
Makhachev is next in line to defend the welterweight crown. The Dagestan native is no stranger to bucking historical trends, having become the first UFC lightweight champion to defend the belt more than three times by submitting Renato Moicano in January 2025.
Fight fans eagerly await the status of Makhachev, who has been out of action for over six months since claiming the throne in November last year. As for his next fight, there are plenty of contenders champing at the bit for an opportunity, and the dynamic welterweight division is churning out new names every week.
Carlos Prates is the front-runner, with his demolition job over Maddalena in Perth earlier this year. ‘The Nightmare’ has called out Makhachev before, and represents an interesting stylistic matchup to the champ.
Michael Morales is another name flying under the radar. The 26-year-old Ecuadorian is eight years Makhachev’s junior, and brings a sparkling 19-0 record into the Octagon. He’s riding high with back-to-back knockout victories over Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
Whoever the opponent, Makhachev should be wary of the recent losing trend, especially with dangerous fighters like Ilia Topuria eyeing a triple-champ opportunity.
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