UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad responded after Sean Strickland threatened to “backhand” him the next time they cross paths.

Strickland was set to fight former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, in a grudge match next month at UFC 268 in New York City, but the fight is not happening anymore after Rockhold pulled out with an injury. With Strickland now without an opponent, other fighters are now calling him out. For example, middleweight prospect Brendan Allen called out Strickland for a rematch, and Muhammad also offered to step up to 185lbs and fight him. However, Strickland shot down the Muhammad fight, saying that he would “backhand” him if they ever crossed paths again in person after the public callout.

Taking to his social media to respond to Strickland — who said he was not interested in fighting Muhammad and who would rather wait for a better opportunity at 185lbs before accepting a fight against a welterweight — Muhammad ripped Strickland for his comments.

Clown pic.twitter.com/eruaeK7Jyn

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) October 12, 2021

“After that last fight, ‘Oh man, I’m a bad boy. I want to kill somebody in the cage. I want to be the first person to murder someone. Blah blah blah. I don’t care about titles. I’m an airhead, I’m a moron.’ Now it’s like, ‘I only want to fight ranked guys that are above me that are going to get me closer to the title shot. And if it’s possible, can I fight in my hometown?’ I know you’ve got that fake persona. You’re soft,” Muhammad said.

With Strickland and Muhammad being in different weight classes, it seems unlikely this fight will actually happen, but it is clear they do not like each other.

Do you want to see Belal Muhammad move up to 185lbs and fight Sean Strickland, or would you rather see the UFC find a middleweight to take on Strickland?