UFC 315: Champion Belal Muhammad says ‘nothing’ will stop him from walking out with Palestinian flag

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will proudly raise the Palestinian flag when he walks out at UFC 315 on May 10.

Waving the banner for Palestine is fundamentally crucial to Muhammad, an American born to Palestinian parents. That’s why Muhammad has spoken with the UFC to guarantee he can walk out with the Palestinian flag. It’s especially important to Muhammad amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

“We’ve talked about it and they’ve accepted it,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “Nothing is going to stop me from doing it.

“It’s been over two years now where they’re dying, they’re starving, the people over there are in so much pain. The world’s just watching it. The world’s just coming up with excuses for it. It’s wild.”

Questions about flag approval persist despite UFC CEO Dana White ending the company’s flag ban in October 2023. The promotion previously prohibited fighters from walking out with flags in response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Muhammad had Palestine’s flag with him when he defeated Leon Edwards in Manchester, England, for the UFC welterweight title last year, but the flag was noticeably absent against Gilbert Burns in 2023 and Sean Brady in 2022.

“The only way I can be their voice is by continuing to win,” Muhammad said. “I just have to keep continuing to work, keep continuing to push it and it’s all in god’s hands. God has a plan for everything and I’m hoping this finally comes to an end soon.”

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Muhammad will defend his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena at the event in Montreal. The champion sees it as another opportunity to educate the public and resonate with his people.

“I’ve just been getting so many messages, people just wanting to know what’s happening there because they see me carrying that flag and what it means and what it means to me,” Muhammad said. “If you’re human, you want to know what’s going on there. If you’re human and you see it and you ignore it, you’re not really human. You don’t have a soul. 

“If you can see kids starving, if you see kids dying, if you see all their suffering and you just turn your head away, look at yourself in the mirror and really ask yourself: What would you do if those people were from a different country? What would I do if those people weren’t Arab? What would I do if those people weren’t this color?

“Just so many people out here that are afraid to speak up, afraid to say something, afraid to do anything because they’re afraid of the consequences. There shouldn’t be consequences for being human.”