Kamaru Usman: A Belal Muhammad Match is a “Waste of Time”
Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad have a well-documented public feud with one another, but the former seems not to see the value in competing with the latter, at least at this juncture. At a Q&A event amid fight week leading into UFC 321 this weekend, Usman was a featured fighter who was fielding questions from several MMA enthusiasts.
Video footage of that question and answer session was utilized by the X account @ChampRDS, with an excerpt posted from when a fan asked Usman about his rivalry with Belal Muhammad. When the fan mentioned the back and forth that has happened between the two former welterweight champions, and when asked why they’re not getting into the octagon together now, Usman said,
“Well, we didn’t have a lot of back and forth. It was just a lot coming from him. I just think he’s a dork and you know, what you do with a dork is ignore them. I like that question. This is the thing is for someone like myself and Belal Muhammad. Right now, Belal Muhammad is ranked what, #1 in the division, and I’m below him. I’m looking at the title. I have been where he hasn’t been. Yes of course he’s been the champion but we saw what happened when it was time for you to defend.”
Kamaru Usman: “I have nothing to gain from fighting Belal Muhammad”
As he further expounded on his reasoning behind why a Belal Muhammad fight doesn’t completely make sense at this point in time for him, Kamaru Usman continued,
“I have nothing to gain from fighting Belal Muhammad. He has all to gain from me. That’s why he’s the one calling me out. He has all to gain from me. I’m not here to waste time. I wanna get the title, and I wanna continue on my track of defending and being that champion again. Why waste time with him? If I have the title and he’s the next guy, I would luckily kick his head in.”
The sentiment is clearly mutual, as Muhammad has not kept quiet about his feelings for Usman when asked about the former kingpin of 170 pounds in the UFC.
