Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman are the two names Belal Muhammad expects to face in his first UFC welterweight title defense. Muhammad recently took the undisputed gold from Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He sees Rakhmonov as the possible logical opponent but can consider the former P4P king as an option. To that end, he and Usman are already lighting up the stakes.
Muhammad’s domination in the Manchester PPV headliner against Edwards showed clear signs of improvement. Given all he’s done in the division, there could be a chance the promotion favors Usman. Belal Muhammad recently doused some tough words when Usman called dibs on his maiden defense. Now, Kamaru Usman teases ‘new motivation’ to reclaim his gold as he rips the welterweight champion.
Alright enough of the nice guy… you were never chasing me Bum. You were barely in rankings when i dominated the division. FYI I have a win over Leon son.
Kamaru Usman via X (@USMAN84kg)
Considering Rakhmonov’s recent opponents, the Palestinian-American thinks Kamaru Usman might very well be next. During a one-on-one with TMZ Sports, he lauded his performance against Khamzat Chimaev last year, coming in on short notice.
During the first episode of his ‘Road Back to Gold’ VLOG series, Usman said he’s ready for such a challenge. Hence, he now reacts to Muhammad’s more recent remarks of dumbing down his chances. The champ out of Team Valle Flow Striking had his own diss to serve.
Dominated the division ? u beat masvidal twice and went to cardio kickboxing war with colby twice (colby sucks). u were protected by ufc.. now u can barely walk… your podcast sucks ..and ur part in black panther sucked.
Belal Muhammad replies, via X (@bullyb170)
Alright enough of the nice guy… you were never chasing me Bum. You were barely in rankings when i dominated the division. FYI I have a win over Leon son 🤫
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) August 8, 2024
Dominated the division ? 😂😂 u beat masvidal twice and went to cardio kickboxing war with colby twice (colby sucks). u were protected by ufc.. now u can barely walk… your podcast sucks ..and ur part in black panther sucked https://t.co/59uxFb8FMX
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) August 8, 2024
After capturing the 170-pound strap at UFC 304, Muhammad has been ready to amp up as many online feuds as possible. Snubbed from the title shot and ridiculed for his passion, Muhammad has had enough. Usman, who lost his title against Edwards at UFC 278, also had a brief acting stint. Muhammad does not hold back from dissing the pop culture fan-favorite role, either. Moreover, he subsequently gets a reply.
Kamaru Usman rips ‘boring’ Belal Muhammad with scathing reply
Kamaru Usman is on a three-fight skid with two losses in title fights against Edwards. However, Muhammad has a somewhat high appreciation for Usman’s legacy in the UFC competition. Usman agreeing to a short-notice fight at 185 pounds against Khamzat Chimaev was quite a big matter. Belal Muhammad knows this; post-champ or not, though, he’s ready for the challenge.
Kamaru Usman trashes ‘boring’ Belal Muhammad — as the UFC champ disses his movie (Source: X/IMAGO)About a week back, he and Islam Makhachev were guest fighters for the media round in a moderated UFC Q&A in Abu Dhabi. During the UFC on ABC 7 guest fighter Q&A and photo op, Usman took a sly jab as Makhachev had to help Belal get acquainted with carrying his strap. Muhammad took a dig back at the ex-champ, whose belt he now carries.
To that end, although he respects Usman’s rising to 185, he darts on some insults on his welterweight competition. He even snatches away some respect from Kamaru Usman’s brief role in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie. Usman gives a scathing reply.
lol glad you watched me in BP😉. Unfortunately no one wants to watch you fight much less put you in a movie.
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) August 8, 2024
Various comments fueled his rage yet again when fans jibed at the alleged decision merchant. The running sentiment was that Usman puts pioneer gangsters like Jorge Masvidal to sleep, while Muhammad puts the audience to sleep with his performance. Usman disses him on similar lines, labeling him boring. As such, this to-and-fro could get interesting if this is the fight to make.
