Belal Muhammad: Kamaru Usman too 'chicken' to fight
· Yahoo Sports
Visit sport-newz.biz for more information.
Belal Muhammad wanted to face Kamaru Usman next, but claims fellow former UFC champion is too "chicken" to meet in the octagon.
On June 6, Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) meets Gabriel Bonfim in the main event of UFC Fight Night 278 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. It's not Muhammad's first choice, but once he heard his options were Bonfim (19-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) or Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC), he knew what was coming.
"Obviously, it was one of those where they were like, 'Yeah, it's either gonna be Gabriel Bonfim or Kamaru.' I was like, 'Alright, so it's gonna be Gabriel Bonfim,'" Muhammad told MMA Junkie. "Like, there's no need to even say Kamaru because I know he's not gonna fight. So, for me now it's just getting a fight, getting a win. I can't pick and choose. When you lost your last fight, nothing else matters."
Muhammad is coming off back-to-back losses. His first was dropping the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena in a Fight of the Night at UFC 315, followed by a loss against top contender Ian Machado Garry a few months later at UFC Fight Night 265.
While Muhammad says he may not have much room to pick and choose his opponents, given his recent results, that won't stop him from criticizing "The Nigerian Nightmare," with whom he shares management in Ali Abdelaziz. Usman is also in a tough spot himself, having won only one of his last four fights. Usman is 38, and Muhammad believes he may only have one shot a title left.
"I'll straight up tell him that Kamaru's a chicken, and he's trying to protect him," Muhammad said. "For Ali, he's in a bad spot, right? Because Kamaru is his golden goose, and he knows that he'll get smacked around by me. So, it's like you got to protect him. Kamaru's got like one chance left. You're at that point now where he has to wait for that perfect fight, he's putting out little feelers out there, and maybe he'll get a title shot."
Usman was on the verge of securing his name as the best welterweight champion in UFC history before dropping the title in 2022 in one of the biggest knockouts in the sport's history. Despite the trash talk, Muhammad thinks Usman does have a path to a title, but it might not be in the same division. A fight against Dricus Du Plessis could get the ball rolling, especially if current welterweight champ Khamzat Chimaev decides to vacate and move up after defending the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
"I don't think he'll get it at 170, but I know he's trying to plant his seeds at 185, and DDP would be an easy fight," Muhammad said. "DDP can't defend a takedown, and he can't get up. So, I think he's either looking at that, and then especially if Khamzat wins this fight, I think he'll definitely move up to 205. I don't think he's going to stay at 185 much longer. That leaves an opening for the 185 belt."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad: Kamaru Usman too 'chicken' to fight