Belal Muhammad calls Kamaru Usman a coward after criticizing Islam Makhachev

Belal Muhammad | in victory in Ultimate (Photo: Instagram/UFC)

Belal Muhammad | did not react well to Kamaru Usman reviews a Islam makhachev to avoid a possible fight with the UFC welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg). For the Nigerian, the relationship between the two Muslims, who train together occasionally, should not be an obstacle to a super fight between them. Unhappy with the statement, the Palestinian responded to Usman in an interview with the North American website 'MMA Fighting' this Wednesday (22).

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“They never trained together, but he said, ‘I would never fight Israel.’ He also said he would never fight Khabib. I’m like, ‘Bro, you never trained with them before.’ When he said, ‘These guys train together? Let’s get rid of that notion.’ Dude, shut up. You’ve never been in the room with Adesanya, worked out or sweated with Adesanya in your life and you made it seem like you would never fight him because he’s your brother,” the champ said.

Belal Muhammad | had A LOT to say about Kamaru Usman calling for him to fight Islam makhachev:

“You've never sweated with [Israel] Adesanya in your life and you made it seem like you would never fight him ever because he's your brother.”

( @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/nFDnZlaNPz

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 22, 2025

In fact, while the welterweight (77,1 kg.) and middleweight (83,9 kg.) divisions reigned, respectively, Usman and Adesanya always ruled out the possibility of facing each other. At the time, along with Francis Ngannou, the three were keen to represent the dominance of the African continent in the Ultimate.

K. Usman (left) and I. Adesanya (right) have already stated that they have no interest in a superfight. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Muhammad was even more critical, citing that Usman's statements were caused by dissatisfaction with his own career.

“Everybody’s just looking for this notion to hate on me. They’re looking for this notion because they don’t want me to be the champion. But I went out there and dominated the guy that beat you twice, Usman. Leon (Edwards) killed you. Knocked you out. Erased you and then dominated you. I went out there and dominated him and made it look easy. So you’re acting like ‘I got lucky.’ No, bro, we’re not on the same path. We’re not on the same level,” he said.

Belal Muhammad | in victory over Leon edwards at UFC 304. Photo: Reproduction/UFC

Belal Muhammad called Kamaru Usman a coward

The Palestinian went further and criticized Usman's trajectory as champion. According to the fighter, the Nigerian chose favorable opponents while he was the owner of the belt, and classified him as a fighter who avoided big challenges.

“He was a cowardly champion. He was the champion of, ‘Oh, let me get the rematch with Colby (Covington), who’s terrible,’ or ‘Let me get the rematch with (Jorge) Masvidal.’ He never wanted to fight the best guy. He never wanted the guy on a hot streak. He avoided those tough tests. He was the cowardly champion. He wasn’t looking for the toughest tests. He wasn’t that guy.”

Kamaru Usman (left) fighting against Khamzat Shimaev (dir.) in UFC 294. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Before closing his argument, he also strongly criticized the current moment of the former champion, who is on a streak of three consecutive defeats and has not fought since October 2023.

“He’s a podcaster now, right? He’s not a fighter. Plus, he’s the No. 2 in the division. Don’t you want to get your name back by fighting one of those tough guys? No, because he doesn’t want those tough fights. He’s going to fight Khamzat (Chimaev) on a week’s notice because now he has an excuse if he loses. You lost. You’re on a three-fight losing streak. It’s closer to Tony Ferguson than returning to the title race,” he concluded.