Belal Muhammad is actively pursuing a fight against fellow welterweight contender, Kamaru Usman. While a bout between two prominent fighters makes sense inherently, Muhammad`s strong desire for this specific matchup is fueled by their personal history.
Last year, Muhammad appeared as a guest on Usman’s Pound-4-Pound podcast, co-hosted by Henry Cejudo. The interaction reportedly went so poorly that the episode has never been released. Though specific details are unclear, there were alleged physical exchanges between the two. Muhammad claims he knows why the podcast episode remains hidden from the public.
“I was on his podcast, made him cry,” Muhammad stated in an interview. “Then threw some blows, then all of the sudden, I don`t know, it got deleted from the cloud and it`s gone, it`s missing. Who knows? Maybe if we get this fight, they`ll use it for promotion, like the Khabib-Conor bus incident.”
Muhammad insisted, “Usman cried. Tears coming out his eyes.” He speculated this might be the reason Usman is trying to edit the footage or use artificial intelligence to alter it.
According to Muhammad, Usman suffers from a significant ego. He believes Usman cannot handle the realization that his current standing or self-perception doesn`t align with his past achievements, impacting him physically and mentally.
Despite Muhammad`s strong interest, the fight may not happen soon. Following his win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, Usman showed little interest in facing Muhammad, stating his focus is on securing another welterweight title shot. However, Muhammad argues that Usman`s title aspirations should wait.
Muhammad asserts that a fight between them is the most logical step because they are currently two of the biggest names in the division. He feels their back-and-forth history and the controversial unreleased podcast add significant narrative weight to the potential matchup.
Muhammad is supremely confident about the outcome should the fight take place. He declared he would “dominate” Usman, citing a favorable style matchup. He believes Usman would fail to take him down, be unable to out-strike him, and wouldn`t have the cardio to keep up. Muhammad sees Usman`s attempts to call for middleweight title fights and other matchups as evidence that he is avoiding their bout and seeking easier options, labeling him “delusional.”
Additional MMA News Snippets
- Discussion surrounding the P4P rankings, particularly Islam Makhachev versus Ilia Topuria.
- Jamahal Hill plans to take time off following his loss at UFC Baku.
- Bo Nickal is returning to wrestling, signing with Real American Freestyle.
- Diego Brandao anticipates a meeting with UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby after securing another violent knockout.
- Key takeaways from the UFC 317 mailbag, highlighting the rise of Ilia Topuria and Alexandre Pantoja.
- Ilia Topuria is actively engaged in media appearances.
- Michael Bisping shares his thoughts on a potential fight between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett.
- Demetrious Johnson offered his analysis of UFC 317.
- Dan Hooker discussed Arman Tsarukyan and other topics.
- Curtis Blaydes appears positioned for a potential title run.
Upcoming Fight Announcements
Geoff Neal (16-6) vs. Carlos Prates (21-7); Scheduled for UFC 319, August 16.
Marcin Tybura (27-9) vs. Ante Delija (25-6); Scheduled for UFC Paris, September 6.
Please note: The Morning Report will not be published on Friday due to a holiday in the United States. Happy Birthday to America! We will return next Monday.
