Belal Muhammad does not support the idea of Islam Makhachev‘s first welterweight title defense being against Kamaru Usman.
Both Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) and Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) are angling to fight each other, with manager Ali Abdelaziz making a heavy push for it. Former champion Muhammad, who is also managed by Abdelaziz, still thinks Usman is unworthy of a title fight.
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Usman snapped his three-fight losing skid with a win over Joaquin Buckley in June, but Muhammad sees undefeated powerhouse Michael Morales, who knocked out Sean Brady at UFC 322, as the No. 1 contender.
“When I look at the welterweight division, Islam being the champion, who do I think deserves it, who do I think has earned it? I think Michael Morales for sure has earned it,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “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 planting the seeds in his head.
“Do I think Usman is an easier matchup for him? Of course. The guy has 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. You can 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’re saying no to fights. You can call me a hater. I’m just looking at the division with a different lens.”
Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights for the first time in his career after losing his title to Jack Della Maddalena, then a decision to Ian Machado Garry. He still hopes to settle his beef with Usman, which stems from an alleged physical altercation during a podcast episode on Usman’s “Pound 4 Pound” podcast.
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“We’ll see what happens next with him, who will get it,” Muhammad continued. “If it is Morales, I do think me and Usman make the most sense. I’ve been wanting that fight, asked for that fight. We’ll see if we get the fight.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad: Islam Makhachev and his manager seek easier fight
