A UFC fighter is facing backlash from fans after making a bizarre Jeffrey Epstein comment during a pre-fight press conference.
American fighter Belal Muhammad sat down with the media on Thursday afternoon, ahead of his highly-anticipated fight with Irish rival Ian Garry on Saturday night.
However, things took an abrupt turn after Muhammad delved into his ‘bright’ future and spoke on his experience training with fighters far younger than himself.
Muhammad said: ‘My future’s bright, right? I’m training with young masters. Ignacio Bahamondes is probably 28 and I think he’s one of the best strikers in the UFC.
‘Like I said, I got a 17-year-old now, Nacho’s younger brother, who’s a monster, right?
‘It feels like the Epstein files without the sex, right? I’m getting their powers through sparring and training, so it feels good. And I love training every day with these guys.
Belal Muhammad left UFC fans confused after making a Jeffrey Epstein comment on Thursday
Muhammad bizarrely compared his experience sparring young fighters to the federal investigation into disgraced pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein (Seen in 2005)
‘I’m learning from these guys and I’m growing so much from these guys. The energy they bring, it makes me feel younger and I’m still young in the sport.
‘My body feels good every single day I wake up. I’m blessed to be where I am’.
The former welterweight champion’s comments were likely intended as a joke but, in reality, fans were left uncomfortable and confused by the comparison.
‘Top 5 worst things ever said on the mic in UFC history,’ one fan said on X.
Another confused fan said: ‘This is definitely one if not the worse lines ever said by a fighter in a press, what the f***. Cant even imagine this sounded good in his head’.
‘He could have probably said literally anything else and it would have been a better choice of words,’ another wrote on the social media platform on Thursday.
One fan said: ‘Social media turned alot of ppl into weirdos. Saying strange s***for the few troll accounts to laugh at but not realizing how dumb it makes them look’.
The bizarre comments come one day after Donald Trump gave the Department of Justice 30 days to release all the files collected over multiple federal investigations into disgraced pedophile billionaire Epstein.
Fans were quick to question Muhammad over the ‘insane’ comment in the press conference
Muhammad won the UFC welterweight title in July last year – before being dethroned in May
Trump signed the bill to release the more than 100,000 pages on the billionaire pedophile after the House voted overwhelmingly to pass the measure and the Senate followed suit in a sweeping sign of bipartisan unity.
‘As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively,’ Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump even hinted in his statement Wednesday night that he hoped to expose Democrats with the release of the files.
‘Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed,’ he said.
But Trump’s close relationship with Epstein has been known for decades and the files could bring some embarrassing information to light.
The legislation passed on Tuesday says records can be withheld if they would jeopardize an active federal investigation.
The Trump administration may also withhold records that identify victims or include images of child sexual abuse.
The Justice Department has already said the files it withheld contained images of victims and videos of illegal child sex abuse.
