Khamzat Chimaev blasts Belal Muhammad, calls UFC champion 'pony'
Just weeks after Dana White confirmed Khamzat Chimaev will finally get his long-awaited UFC title shot, the undefeated star is already stirring up rivalries—this time by taking an unexpected swipe at UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
Chimaev, who is set to face middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis later this year, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday and shared a cryptic image of a pony, tagging the caption (in Russian), “bullyb170 where are you going pony.”
bullyb170 куда ты лезешь пони 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/i4HMuSSavJ
The jab was aimed at Muhammad—known by his handle @bullyb170—though Chimaev notably forgot to tag him directly.
Still, the message found its mark. Muhammad, ever quick with a clapback, responded with a picture of himself wearing a “Muhammad vs Chimaev” T-shirt and simply wrote: “Goin to middleweight.”
Goin to middleweight https://t.co/u4QzXQb3iP pic.twitter.com/owTlYl8HHH
The brief exchange sent MMA fans into a frenzy, fueling talk of a potential future superfight between the reigning 170lb champion and the unbeaten 185lb contender, should both continue their winning runs.
Belal Muhammad is set to defend his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315 on May 10, while Chimaev is preparing for a middleweight title bout against Du Plessis, now officially confirmed by Dana White.
Rumors had circulated that Du Plessis was nursing an injury that could postpone the UFC 317 bout scheduled for June 28, but the South African quickly shut those down, calling the speculation “untrue.”
White confirmed over the weekend that the fight is happening—just not during International Fight Week as initially expected.
“The Du Plessis vs. Khamzat fight, it’s happening,” White said. “It’s just not happening in International Fight Week. That fight’s done.”
With both fighters locked into title fights in their respective divisions, a potential Chimaev vs Muhammad clash would require some stars to align—namely, both men walking away from their next bouts victorious. But based on their latest social media sparring, it’s a scenario both are already entertaining.
Chimaev (14-0) remains one of the UFC’s most polarizing and dangerous figures, while Muhammad has battled his way through the ranks to finally earn the welterweight crown.
Whether their paths cross in the Octagon remains to be seen—but the war of words has already begun.