Belal Muhammad made his UFC debut in July against Alan Jouban. He lost the bout, but won a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. The scrap was one of the best of the UFC's International Fight Week festivities, featuring three cards on three straight nights in Las Vegas.
Muhammad's brother was in the stands watching the exciting battle and heard a misplaced chant break out. He told Muhammad about it afterward.
"A lot of people were screaming, ‘USA! USA! USA!'" Muhammad told MMA Fighting. "I'm like, ‘Dude, I'm American. I'm a citizen. What are you talking about?