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.”
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.
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UFC champion addresses banned flag controversy – ‘Dana said he’s all about free speech’
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UFC and CEO Dana White are all about free speech and freedom of expression, but there continues to be controversy surround flags in and around the Octagon. Back in May 2022, fighters carrying flags was actually banned outright because of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. This was a deeply unpopular decision and resulted in a good bit of outcry from athletes who wanted to represent their respective countries in the cage.
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By October 2023, the decision was reversed. “If flags hurt your feelings, too f—king bad,” White declared, and generally, that’s been the rule of law (with one notable exception). Recently, however, there’s been a bit of controversy regarding UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who proudly represents Palestine in addition to Chicago, Illinois.
Strangely, Muhammad is the only fighter listed on the official UFC website for the UFC 315 fight card without a flag. Some claimed censorship and other speculated it was merely an error, but after two weeks, Muhammad is now publicly requested the situation be fixed.
“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 (via MMA Junkie). “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.”
It remains to be seen whether White acquiesces or even acknowledges Muhammad’s request. Either way, “Remember The Name” will be seeking the first defense of his Welterweight crown at UFC 315 opposite Jack Della Maddalena from Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 10, 2025.
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