Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says Islam Makhachev should fight Belal Muhammad despite their relationship.
After his fourth title defense in the lightweight division, many wonder who Islam Makhachev will face next. The fighter recently defeated Renato Moicano after his initial opponent had to withdraw due to a back injury. It is uncertain when he will return, so Makhachev is left without a worthy opponent. However, Usman believes the champ should keep things interesting and move up to challenge friend and training partner Belal Muhammad.
“If I were Islam and I had to pick what the next fight will be, 100 percent I think Belal Muhammad and Ilia Topuria is definitely an easier matchup for me,” Usman said on the Pound-4-Pound podcast. “I think I go up there and starch either one of those guys and then decide what I want to do. If I want to retire, I retire, because, looking at just the body composition and the way that these guys are cutting, I feel like it’s starting to get tough for Islam to get down to that weight class. If I was him, the decision that I would make next, 100 per cent I would definitely probably go up.
“This whole notion of Belal training with them, they don’t want to—Bro, no. I’m going up there, and I’m whipping him, I don’t care. Just because he comes into our camp, he just tries to use our bodies and learn our style. I’m moving up, I’m whipping him, I’m taking that belt, and I’m moving on to the next.”
Their coach, former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, doesn’t think this is a good idea as it could cause a rift in their relationship, but Usman says that both fighters should focus more on advancing their individual careers rather than their relationship.
“They’re not brothers,” Usman said. “They’re not from the same place. That dork just goes over there to train with them here and there. If it’s time to scrap, we scrap, and we get to the work happening. … Mike Tyson put things in perspective: Even that is your real friend that you care about, then you let him get paid. I don’t see why you don’t make that fight at all. I don’t see it.”
“It hasn’t been clear on why Arman Tsarukyan was unable to compete,” Usman said. “Everyone is talking around it and everyone is kind of just moving past him. It seems a little unfair because Arman Tsarukyan has done the work to get here. He’s done the work to challenge for that title and, let’s be honest, this was the most competitive lightweight fight that we’ve seen in a long time. This would have been the most competitive because both guys are evenly matched, they’re both good everywhere. They’re both extremely well-rounded, they’re both tough, and they’ve got that hard-nosed style. So, this would have been the most competitive.
“But for some reason it’s not really being exposed of what was—All they said was a back injury. So the fact that everyone is just kind of moving past Arman now… I don’t understand that.”
Muhammad was quite unpleased with Usman’s comments and responded; “Stop speaking my name until you finally end your losing streak,” Muhammad wrote. “Or you change the podcast name to ‘loss after loss.’”
