Former UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad doesn’t want to see Kamaru Usman anywhere near the next title shot. When Islam Makhachev jumped to 170 pounds and dominated Jack Della Maddalena to capture Welterweight gold, two other top contenders emerged on the same night. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales scored massive knockouts, adding their names to […]
Former UFC Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad doesn’t want to see Kamaru Usman anywhere near the next title shot.
When Islam Makhachev jumped to 170 pounds and dominated Jack Della Maddalena to capture Welterweight gold, two other top contenders emerged on the same night. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales scored massive knockouts, adding their names to the list of possible title threats alongside the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov Ian Garry. It was a massive moment for the rising generation of Welterweight talent, but there’s still no guarantee who Makhachev will face next.
The Russian champion himself has expressed a preference for Kamaru Usman, the former divisional great who upset Joaquin Buckley earlier this year at UFC Atlanta. Prior to that unanimous decision win, Usman had lost three straight and sat on the sidelines for quite some time.
Muhammad may be pals with Makhachev, but that doesn’t mean he agrees Usman should be next. According to “The Bully,” there’s a scheme in play to book Makhachev an “easier” title fight, while his manager Ali Abdelaziz benefits from booking both of his athletes in a UFC title fight and double-dipping on percentages.
“When I look at the Welterweight division — Islam being the champion — who do I think deserves it?” Muhammad explained. “Michael Morales for sure has earned it. But we see the seeds planted. We see Islam planting the seeds of Usman should be the next guy. Obviously they have the same manager. Obviously, the manager planted the seeds in his head.
“Do I think Usman is an easier matchup for him? Of course. The guy fought one time in three years, and he’s 1-3. I’m still ahead of you. Even though I lost my last two fights, I’m still 2-2. You can talk, say whatever you want — you turned down the fight. You didn’t want to fight, and I don’t think that should earn you a title fight when you say no to fights.“
Muhammad finished with another call to face “The Nigerian Nightmare.” The two have beefed for ages now ever since a podcast appearance allegedly ended with a physical altercation, but so far, nothing has been booked. Hopefully, some new Welterweight matchups start getting announced for 2026 sooner than later, because a lot of uncertainty remains.
Category: General Sports
