UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad has his role for UFC 296 , and his services may or may not be required on fight night. Muhammad will be the backup for the main event welterweight title fight between champ Leon Edwards and challenger Colby Covington. In addition to the main event, two other key welterweight matchups are on the card, and Muhammad has been keeping a close eye on all of his divisional peers. Shavkat Rakhmonov takes on Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque faces Ian Machado Garry on the main card. Muhammad is likely to find himself watching all of these bouts unfold from cageside as the services of a backup fighter have yet to be needed in a UFC event. However, he has studied his peers closely.