Belala Muhammad doesn’t suppose Kamaru Usman needs to be anyplace near a title shot.
Following his dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena to assert the welterweight world championship, Islam Makhachev prompt the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ for his first title protection at 170.
“When you give me the selection and ask me who you need to combat, I’ll take Kamaru,” Makhachev mentioned throughout an look on About Last Fight. “But it surely’s not my job. Anybody, I might be prepared…”
Shortly after, Usman reacted to the information, admitting on his Pound-4-Pound podcast that the thought of dealing with Makhachev “scared” him, however definitely didn’t scoff on the thought of being the primary fighter to problem the ‘Dagestani Destroyer.’
“I nearly really feel like if there are guys like myself and Islam within the division, you nearly really feel like if Prates was the champion, what occurred to JDM is certain to occur (to Prates),” Usman mentioned. “Somebody might do this to them. Once I have a look at a man like Islam, I don’t actually see holes (in his sport) and that’s one thing that scares me and that’s whenever you see a few of the most spectacular performances, the final time I felt that was towards Colby Covington.”
Belal Muhammad names the person he needs to see combat Makhachev, and it’s not Kamaru Usman
Getting wind of the back-and-forth between Makhachev and Usman, Muhammad was compelled to talk out, questioning how Usman could possibly be in consideration after producing just one win within the final three years.
“For Usman to speak and act like he deserves a shot, the man’s one and three out of his final 4, and he turned down a combat with me to combat this weekend,” Muhammad instructed MMA Junkie. “So, I feel he’s robotically marked off. I really feel like Shavkat [Rakhmonov] being injured and being out, he’s going to should get one other win.
“I feel the front-runner proper now could be [Michael] Morales, proper? The efficiency he had, the streak he’s on. So, for me, I obtained to outperform his efficiency.”
Each Michael Morales and Carlos Prates took large leaps up the welterweight rankings with their respective knockouts of Sean Brady and Leon Edwards at UFC 322.
Within the eyes of many, one in every of them needs to be the primary man up for Makhachev, however with Usman’s day of competing numbered, the UFC could also be compelled to present the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ yet one more five-rounder earlier than he lays down his gloves for good.
