Belal Muhammad is actively seeking a fight against Kamaru Usman, a matchup he feels is both strategically logical and personally significant.
The tension between the two former welterweight champions escalated last year when Muhammad appeared on Usman`s `Pound-4-Pound` podcast alongside Henry Cejudo. The encounter reportedly became so heated, potentially involving a physical confrontation, that the episode was never publicly released.
Muhammad offered his explanation for the unreleased footage, stating, “I was on his podcast, made him cry. Then threw some blows, then all of the sudden… it got deleted from the cloud and it`s gone, it`s missing.” He speculated the recording might be intentionally withheld, perhaps to be used later for promotional purposes if their fight is ever booked.
Reiterating his claim, Muhammad specifically mentioned that Usman was crying during the incident, with “Tears coming out his eyes.” He suggested this emotional reaction is the likely reason Usman might be attempting to edit or conceal the recording.
Muhammad attributed Usman`s alleged reaction to an inflated ego, believing Usman struggles to cope when confronted with the reality of his current position or perceived decline compared to his past dominance.
Despite Muhammad`s strong desire for the bout, securing it remains uncertain. Following his recent victory at UFC Atlanta, Usman appeared uninterested in facing Muhammad, instead expressing a focus on a welterweight title shot. Muhammad, however, believes his fight should take precedence.
Muhammad argued that a fight between them makes perfect sense in the current landscape of the welterweight division, highlighting their status as major names, their history, the ongoing back-and-forth, and the controversial unreleased podcast episode as compelling reasons for the matchup.
Should the fight ultimately happen, Muhammad is supremely confident in his ability to defeat Usman.
“He would get dominated,” Muhammad asserted, expressing belief in his stylistic advantages. He claimed Usman would be unable to take him down, win the striking exchanges, or match his cardio. Muhammad interprets Usman`s interest in other potential opponents, such as aiming for a middleweight title fight, as an attempt to avoid their matchup, labeling such aspirations as “delusional.”
Wesley Dunham