Mixed martial arts fighter Belal Muhammad is known as “Remember the Name” and “Bully B,” but the people he grew up with on the Southwest Side now have another name for him: “the people’s champ.”
Hundreds gathered in southwest suburban Bridgeview on Sunday for a victory parade to celebrate Muhammad’s July 27 coronation as UFC welterweight champion, becoming the first fighter of Palestinian background to win a UFC title.
Muhammad, 36, credited his Palestinian heritage for his success, as well as seeing the determination of the Palestinian people amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
“The heart of a Palestinian is the biggest heart in the world, and that’s what separates me from the rest of these fighters,” Muhammad told the crowd. “The determination I get from seeing the people over there, the resilience they have, the strength they have, I think about them every single day.”
The Chicago area is home to the largest Palestinian population in the U.S., and some know Bridgeview as “Little Palestine.”
Muhammad waved to fans and onlookers as the parade crawled through Bridgeview. Dozens of Palestinian and American flags rippled out of car windows as the caravan wove through the village. Chants of “free Palestine” and “Bully B” rang through crowd.
For Muhammad’s fans his victory represented a win for the Palestinian people as a whole, and served as a beacon of light in a dark time.
“It shows that we can become stronger together and prosper,” said Gehad Othman, 46, who attended the parade with his 9-year-old daughter, Naima. “One day, hopefully, our country Palestine will be free. He gives us more hope, like we can do anything in life.”
Othman said he thought it was important for his daughter to attend the parade so she can see how the community can uplift one another.
“To grow up as an Arab Muslim I’d love for her to see how we support one another through these rough times and see where she comes from,” he said. He added that the two of them watch Muhammad’s fights and appreciate how he always speaks out for Palestine.
Muhammad won the undisputed welterweight championship July 27 after a unanimous decision victory at UFC 304 over Leon Edwards in Manchester, England. Muhammad has a 24-3 record.
“This fight is nothing, this is for my family, my people in Palestine, they’re fighting the real fight,” Muhammad said in his post-fight interview.
Muhammad grew up on Chicago’s Southwest Side and attended Bogan High School, where he was coached by former mixed-martial arts champion Louis Taylor. Muhammad reconnected with Taylor while in college at the University of Illinois and the two have been together ever since.
Layali Muhammad, Belal’s cousin, flew in from Cleveland to show her support for her family. She said Belal has never been afraid of speaking his mind.
“This gives a little bit of hope and a little bit of happiness to everybody over there that Palestine is being talked about in a positive way,” she said. “He’s never been afraid to talk about his country or his people.”
Belal Muhammad said one of his first goals when becoming an MMA fighter was to earn a belt while carrying the Palestinian flag. Now that he’s accomplished that dream he wants to cement his legacy.
“The second goal of mine is that when they see that flag they can say the best fighter to ever do it held that flag,” he said. “I want to be the best to ever do it.”
