Belal Muhammad is grateful to have renowned nutrition coach Ian Larios join his camp in the lead up to his title fight against Leon Edwards.
Muhammad will face Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 on July 27 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England for his long-awaited title bout. Representing the tight-knit Chicago Fight Team, Muhammad couldn’t ask for a more inspiring group of people to train with.
Muhammad’s team is pushing him to give it his all and believes it will pay off when he struggles against Edwards. New addition to the team, Larios, is no exception.
“The thing about my team is that it’s a small group and we’re all like a family,” Muhammad recently told Helen Yee. “If someone fights, everyone fights. And someone needs to be encouraged. We all encourage each other. A lot of people hit the stairs, their legs get tired, they’re exhausted, and they give up and say that’s enough. But I know I have to try harder, because that’s what counts when I get to the championship round. Those little spurts at the top, when I don’t want to sprint out of the car park, and my friend Ian says, let’s get out of the car park, let’s try harder, that gives me that push.”
Muhammad also credits his toned physique to Larios, who has been cooking meals for some of the biggest names in MMA for a while now. But “Remember the Name” has a lot more to thank Larios for than just food. According to Muhammad, Larios manages his entire schedule and even spars with him to motivate him further. Muhammad isn’t cutting weight like most people do, but he’s just happy that he has Larios by his side, so he doesn’t have to worry about anything.
“The secret is [physique] “Ian Larios,” Muhammad said. “Thank you to Ian. He’s been with me the last four weeks and cooked all my meals. He’s the best in the game. It doesn’t even feel like I’m on a diet. His food is so good, it’s amazing. I’m so happy to have him here.”
“Like I said, he’s the guy who runs with me, pushes me, spars with me, gives me rounds and pushes me some more. How many chefs do you have here?…Ian gave me a protein cupcake for my birthday, and I said, ‘Hey, can I get an ice cream cake? It’s three weeks away.’ But he doesn’t like dessert himself. Ian has worked with everybody. [Daniel] Cormier, Cain Velasquez, and more recently Jamahal Hill. He trains with Serio Pettis all the time. Once you train with him, you don’t want to train with anybody else. I’m not particularly big on cutting weight, but he takes the stress out of thinking, ‘What am I going to eat? What am I going to do? Am I eating enough? Am I training enough?'”
