Despite their bad blood, Belal Muhammad was impressed by Kamaru Usman’s performance at UFC Atlanta.
Three former champions were in action at Saturday’s UFC event, with Rose Namajunas, Cody Garbrandt, and Usman all looking to bounce back from defeats.
After ‘No Love’ failed in that goal and ‘Thug Rose’ succeeded, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ joined the latter in comfortable fashion.
Usman dominated Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, closing out the card with a lopsided decision after five rounds at State Farm Arena.
Among those watching on was a fellow former champ. After Usman and Muhammad’s podcast altercation increased their bad blood, ‘Remember the Name’ made his desire to fight the legendary welterweight known.
Belal Muhammad admits Kamaru Usman proved he still ‘belongs at the top’ at UFC Atlanta
After calling Usman out on social media and firing back when he was dismissed by ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ once again, Muhammad switched off the hostility.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the Palestinian-American gave a serious assessment of Usman’s performance in Atlanta.
Muhammad praised his rival’s victory, acknowledging that the 38-year-old proved many wrong with his dominance over Buckley and first win since 2021.
“Usman’s still got juice left in the tank,” Muhammad said.
“A big fight for him. Three losses in a row, people had all the questions…’Does he still have it? Does he still have knees?’ I think he went out there and he proved that he does still have it.
“He still belongs at the top of the division with the best guys in the world,” Muhammad added. “He looked good. He came out very smart.”
Muhammad is currently in search of his next opponent after losing the welterweight title in his first defense.
Kamaru Usman continues to dismiss Belal Muhammad’s callouts
For now, it doesn’t look like Muhammad will be getting his wish to share the cage with Usman.
Prior to his long-awaited return to the winner’s circle, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ shut down talk of facing Muhammad, questioning what the matchup could do for his ongoing UFC goals.
And that sentiment continued at UFC Atlanta, with Usman brutally mocking Muhammad when asked about the potential fight during his post-fight press conference.
“Who is it? Who is that? Next,” Usman said.
He later explained what he does want: the spot opposite the winner of Jack Della Maddalena’s expected first title defense against longtime lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
“Absolutely (I want the title shot next). Like I said, I only really had to use one skill tonight, and everyone knows I can knock you out with my hands,” Usman said.
“Let’s be honest, I’m the biggest (name) in the division and this is about entertainment, the UFC is an entertainment company.
“You want to make the biggest fight, it’s gonna be the winner of (Della Maddalena) vs Islam.”
With the likes of Shavkat Rakhmonov, Sean Brady, and Ian Machado Garry all circling the welterweight gold, it remains to be seen whether the UFC will grant Usman’s title shot wish.