Belal Muhammad changes tune on Kamaru Usman after UFC on ESPN 69 performance
Belal Muhammad changes tune on Kamaru Usman after UFC on ESPN 69 performance
Coming out of UFC on ESPN 69, Belal Muhammad thinks it's the perfect time to settle his grudge match with Kamaru Usman.
Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) snapped his three-fight losing skid by defeating rising welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in Saturday's headliner at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) praised the fellow former UFC champion for his game plan against the explosive Buckley.
"He went out there, and he proved that he does still have it," Muhammad said of Usman on his YouTube channel. "He still belongs in the top of the division with the best guys in the world, and he looked good. He came out very smart, got the takedown early. He must have listened to my video giving him his keys to victory. You wanted to slow Buckley down early. You wanted to wear on him early."
Usman is targeting the winner of the expected welterweight title fight between champion Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev and dismissed Muhammad's callout. Muhammad admits he's disappointed that his name wasn't in the mix, especially after the pair traded barbs for months and even got involved in a scuffle when Usman hosted him on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast.
"I wanted him to get on 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 a history. We've been going back-and-forth. It's a clear No. 1 contender fight.
"He's calling for the belt at 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, you're not going to take me down like that."
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