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Glad not to be part of the once-in-a-lifetime event, Belal Muhammad has found similarities between the UFC White House and popular movie franchise The Hunger Games.
The White House show has divided opinion since its announcement. Some consider the event a breath of fresh air and an innovative step forward for the sport, while others believe the occasion is overhyped. Most of the UFC’s biggest names were theoretically stepping over one another to be one of the selected few to compete in front of the president at his residence. However, one man who was thrilled not to hear his name linked with the event was the former UFC champion.
Belal Muhammad has taken issue with the lack of true fans expected to attend the event. The night of fights, live from the White House South Lawn, will see politicians, billionaires, and the like spectating cageside, with real mixed martial arts fans being ushered to the Ellipse, a nearby park.
“My thoughts, initially, was surprised,” Muhammad said after the reveal of the UFC White House card. “Definitely not the card that I thought, that they hyped up, where, you know, you had [Donald] Trump saying 10 title fights. I think, what is it, two title fights on there?… I mean, obviously, people are going to hate, people are going to argue, but they’re fighting at the White House.”
“It’s not open to the public, not open to real fans. When I picture the people that are there watching, I picture, like, the Hunger Games. The first one when, I don’t know if you guys watched it, Katniss was at the tryout, and then all the rich, snobby people were at the top not paying attention to her, and they’re just talking, and she had to shoot the arrow through the pig. That’s what I feel like it’s going to be. They’re just going to be not really paying attention to what’s happening in the cage.”
“If they see a little bit of blood, they don’t see knockouts. But they’re not real fans, so who cares?”
