Belal Muhammad still feels like UFC's best welterweight, says Kamaru Usman is avoiding him
A little over one month removed from UFC 315 and being dethroned by Jack Della Maddalena, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) thinks he understands why he lost. He thinks if he were to face Della Maddalena (18-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) tomorrow, the outcome would be different.
"To me, it's always proving a point," Muhammad recently told MMA Junkie at the UFC X fan experience. "All of my other fights on the come-up, I was the underdog. People thought I couldn't do it. In this fight, they're like, 'Oh, he's going to wrestle easy, but he can't strike with him.' I wanted to prove something, that I could strike with him. I can strike with any of these guys.
"Thinking myself, looking back at myself, I still think I won three of the rounds. The judges didn't. But I still grew from it. I still got better from it. So would I go back and change anything? Obviously, what I would do is get my hand raised. But I still think I can outstrike these guys. I still think I'm better than them on the feet. If I were to fight him again, I think could piece him up on the feet, as well."
Muhammad said he'll fight whenever the promotion wants him to, but October or November would be ideal. The idea of a battle against rival Kamaru Usman seems like the perfect fight to him, but he's willing change course to Ian Machado Garry or a rematch vs. Sean Brady, if need be.
"I think fighting Kamaru Usman (is what should happen)," Muhammad said. "He has to go through me. I'm still the No. 1-ranked guy. It was a war. It was Fight of the Night. If JDM is still the champion, who wouldn't see that fight again? For me, all these guys (have) got to look to fight me.
"Kamaru Usman is acting like he deserves a heavyweight title fight after beating Buckley, who can't wrestle, acting like he's still the champion. I'm like, 'Bro, you're 1-3 out of your last four fights.' You were saying, 'When I see Belal, it's on sight.' So now you have a chance to make it on sight inside the cage, and you're not doing it. He's trying to stray away from it. At the end of the day, I'm still the No. 1 guy. So I think whoever fights me, the winner of that fight is going to get next."
Usman recently snapped a three-fight skid with a dominant unanimous decision win over Joaquin Buckley. He and Muhammad have shared mutual distaste for one another since an alleged podcast recording incident in which Muhammad claims Usman cried before the two got physical. The episode has never been released.
"He's trying to avoid me," Muhammad said. "He knows I'm still the hardest guy in the division when you're looking at stylistic matchups. I still think I'm the best in the division, no matter what. Part of that is to throw interceptions. (Quarterbacks) get to play again next week. But fighters, we don't. We have to fight again in three to four months.
"For me, it's getting back to where I belong, getting a win and if Kamaru keeps trying to avoid it, it's next guy up. Ian was talking about it. If Ian wants to fight, let's go, Ian. We've got Sean Brady is still there, guys that are still riding high in the division. I still think I beat all of them. All it takes for me is to get one more win and then I'm back where I belong, fighting for the belt."
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