Belal Muhammad wants the Palestine flag represented on his UFC profile.
Days after fans began discussing the absence of a flag next to his picture on the promotion’s website, Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) publicly asked the promotion to rectify the absence.
“People keep asking me, ‘Where’s your flag?’ I kept getting multiple messages from it, and I was assuming it was a mistake, but it’s still not addressed,” Muhammad said in a video posted on social media Thursday. “So I’ll address it and hope that Dana addresses it as well and fixes it, because Dana said he’s all about free speech. He’s all about people supporting who they want to support and not muting or silencing anybody. I’m hoping that the UFC fixes this issue and puts my flag next to my name so the people that I represent, the people that I fight for, and the people that I train for, will see their flag.”
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) March 7, 2025
Born in Chicago, Muhammad has deep family ties to Palestine and has proudly represented his heritage throughout his career. In the midst of the war in Gaza, Muhammad has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine and its people.
All of the other 21 fighters competing alongside Muhammad at UFC 315 on May 10 have flags next to their names. Of the dozens of bouts listed on the promotion’s upcoming schedule, two other fighters do not have flags: Ateba Gautier (of Cameroon) and Ahmad Hassanzada (of Afghanistan). Both are pending debutants.
The promotion instated a flag ban in 2022, after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war, but White announced the end of the policy in October 2023. At the time of publication, it’s unclear why the flag is not listed.
“Everybody’s too soft, everybody’s too sensitive about everything,” White said. “When the decision was made to do this, I was just like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal if they don’t have flags?’ Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch and I was like, ‘That’s enough of the no flags thing.’ Flags are back. If any flags hurt your feelings, too f*cking bad.”
Muhammad, 37, will return to action May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada when he attempts to defend his title vs. rising contender Jack Della Maddalena (17-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC). The bout serves as the event’s headliner.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
