Belal Muhammad thinks it’s time for him and Kamaru Usman to settle the score.
The longtime rivals could be set for a fight in the near future with Muhammad losing his welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 and Usman making a triumphant return to the division with a win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta on Saturday.
Afterwards, Usman told reporters he expects to fight for the title after Della Maddalena defends against former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, dismissing the possibility of a Muhammad grudge match. Muhammad responded on social media, referencing an alleged confrontation on Usman’s Pound 4 Pound podcast that, as of now, remains unreleased.
Muhammad made it clear on his YouTube channel that he welcomes fight with Usman.
“What I see, what I want, I wanted him to get on the mic and call me out,” Muhammad said. “I think that’s the next one that makes sense. That’s the only fight that makes sense. If you’re talking about the division, we have history. We’ve been going back and forth. It’s a clear No. 1 contender fight. He’s calling for the belt, 185, 170, but I’m No. 1. I’m still the guy at the top.
“So let’s do it. I think you could pick the date, pick the time, the place, and I’ll be ready for it. Watching this fight, I see you’re not going to take me down like that. I think will look like the fifth round, will look like the whole fight when we fight. It’s not going to be what Buckley was. It’s going to be a lot harder, I think it will be all on the feet, it will definitely be a fun fight and I’m excited for it. I’m ready for it and it gets me hyped. I’ve been waiting for it, I’ve been wanting it, so hopefully the UFC makes it.”
Muhammad’s loss to Maddalena snapped a six-year undefeated streak for “Remember the Name.” Just a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday, the path back to a title shot is murky, though he’s convinced that taking out Usman, 38, should keep him in the No. 1 contender spot (what this means for Muhammad if Makhachev, a friend and training partner, claims the welterweight title is unclear).
Though Muhammad predicts he will dominate Usman for five rounds, he was still impressed by his rival’s comeback performance against Buckley.
“My initial reaction is Usman’s still got juice left in the tank,” Muhammad said. “A big fight for him, three losses in a row. People had all the questions in the world about him. Does he still have it? Does he still have knees? I think he went out there and he proved that he does still have it. He still belongs in the top of the division with the best guys in the world.”
