Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot
Kamaru Usman no-sells Belal Muhammad callout after UFC on ESPN 59, wants next title shot
Show Caption
Hide Caption
UFC on ESPN 69: Kamaru Usman post-fight interview
UFC on ESPN 69 winner Kamaru Usman talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his decision victory over Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta.
ATLANTA – Kamaru Usman did not remember the name Belal Muhammad, or at least he pretended.
Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) turned back the clock in a dominant display against Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 main event at State Farm Arena. It was the first win for the former welterweight champion since November 2021. After looking like the unstoppable force on the ground for most of the fight against Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), he drew the attention of another former titleholder, Belal Muhammad.
"See you soon," Muhammad wrote on X after the fight.
In his first attempt at defending, Muhammad (24-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) dropped the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, ending a 10-fight unbeaten run. The former champ called his shot for Usman, but it was a name and a shout that "The Nigerian Nightmare" completely dismissed.
"Who is it?" Usman responded when asked at a post-fight news conference about Muhammad's callout. "Who is that? Next."
Usman has his sights set on the winner of a potential title fight between Della Maddalena and former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. It's a fight that has not been officially announced, but one that has been rumored to be the direction the promotion intends to go after Makhachev vacated the 155-pound title.
"Let's be honest, I'm the biggest in the division," Usman said. "This is about entertainment. The UFC is an entertainment company. You want to make the biggest fight. It's going to be the winner of JDM and Islam. If Islam pulls that one out, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound – who doesn't pay for that?"
Usman, 38, admits that he's in the twilight of his career, but he still has some gas left in the tank for one more title push. After ending a three-fight skid, which included a pair of title losses to Leon Edwards, and a narrow short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight, Usman struggled to hold back the emotions of a big win. However, he is confident that the next time he steps in the cage, he should be fighting for gold, whether it be against Della Maddalena or Makhachev.
"JDM's no slouch," Usman said. "I've said that in his last fight, and he went out there and showed you guys, don't look past him. He's very, very talented. Islam is extremely talented. I love Islam. I think him coming in makes the division a lot more interesting. If he's able to get in there and wrestle that belt away from JDM, former pound-for-pound, current pound-for-pound, I mean, I think everyone wants to watch that."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alex Pereira: Focus on Magomed Ankalaev rematch, not heavyweight move
NEW YORK—Fans clamoring for Alex Pereira to move to heavyweight are going to have to wait a bit longer. Pereira dropped the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 in March. With the heavyweight division up in the air, Jon Jones saying multiple times he's not interested in fighting right now, and interim champ Tom Aspinall looking for an opponent, 'Poatan' would be a popular choice to flip one of the UFC's thinner divisions upside down. Advertisement That time is not now, however, as Pereira has his sights set on a fall return to avenge his loss to Ankalaev. 'Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November, for me it makes no difference, I want to fight,' Pereira told MMA Fighting at Fanatics Fest. 'My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev... get my belt back, and then we see what happens after.' Pereira has accomplished so much in so little time that the opportunity to win a third divisional title seems like a reasonable goal and request. Right now, Pereira hopes the heavyweight division can get moving again in an entertaining way, but he has his own boxes to check. Advertisement 'Let those guys kill each other in that weight class,' Pereira said. 'Right now I'm just focusing on light heavyweight.' More from
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ABC 8
Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes meet Saturday in the co-main event of UFC on ABC 8 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 5-1 UFC main cards, 2025: 57-44-1 Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes UFC Baku preview Fiziev (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will look to end the roughest stretch of his pro career, as he comes in on a three-fight skid. While the results haven't been on his side, he's been extremely competitive, taking home Fight of the Night bonuses in two fights against Justin Gaethje. The other loss on this run was an unfortunate injury TKO loss against Mateusz Gamrot. Prior to those three fights, Fiziev racked up six straight wins, earning bonuses in five of them. ... Bahamondes (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has been no stranger to extra checks on fight night. He comes in opposite of Fiziev, running hot on a three-fight winning streak, all by first-round finish. Not only did Bahamondes make quick work of Christo Giagos, Manuel Torres and Jalin Turner, he also earned Performance of the Night bonuses for each finish. Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes UFC Baku expert pick, prediction The co-main event on ABC features a striker's delight at lightweight between Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes. Although this seems like a tough spot for Fiziev, given that he's technically coming off three losses, his recent resume has more to it than meets the eye. Aside from one of his losses coming by injury, Fiziev had a quiet argument for winning his first encounter with Justin Gaethje before being booked for a senseless rematch on short notice with "The Highlight" after an extended layoff due to said injury. To Fiziev's credit, he showed noted efforts of improvement in his last fight with Gaethje from both pacing and grappling perspectives – which could come in handy against Bahamondes. I've been a big fan of Bahamondes and his improvements when it comes to both counterstriking and counter-grappling. That said, I'm not sure he can count on commanding the grappling exchanges with a national champion in combat sambo like Fiziev. I also suspect that Fiziev's speed, bodywork and ability to counter in combination will also provide problems for Bahamondes from a stylistic perspective. It's a dangerous fight for Fiziev, but I'll officially side with him to either stop Bahamondes with a body kick or beat him on the scorecards. Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes UFC Baku odds Despite the oddsmakers initially opening the Azerbaijan representative as the favorite, public money has flipped the betting line, listing Bahamondes -124 and Fiziev +102 via FanDuel. Rafael Fiziev vs. Ignacio Bahamondes UFC Baku start time, how to watch As the co-main event, Fiziev and Bahamondes are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 5:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Din Thomas: UFC champ Jon Jones' nonsense a marketing ploy, will fight Tom Aspinall
Din Thomas thinks Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is being dragged out for a reason. UFC heavyweight champion Jones' most recent comments regarding the long-awaited title-unification bout with interim Aspinall have been worrisome after saying that he "could really care less about fighting." Dana White's patience has been running thin, and the UFC CEO said he's willing to move on if the fight doesn't get done in a couple of weeks. Analyst and coach Thomas is confident Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) will end up fighting Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). "It's got to be Jon Jones," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I think all this nonsense is just marketing. I think it's marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger. Every show I've done, we talked more about Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. We've talked about a fight that wasn't even signed more than fights that happened, and I think that was done purposely. "I think Jon Jones is going to fight. He has to. There's no way he goes this route, does all this, and then not fight. I think it's all marketing to keep it out there, to make it even bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and this is going to end up getting signed, and then it's going to be the big fight the UFC needs to close out the year." Jones has been accused of ducking Aspinall, been labeled as scared, and had plenty of fighters and pundits criticize his actions for dragging out the fight. Thomas still think Jones has played the entire situation smartly. "It's the right strategy, too, because think about this: If the plan was to have them fight in November or December, and we announced it in February, no one would talk about it until then. We get tired of talking about it, but the idea of Jon Jones hinting around, Tom Aspinall calling him a duck, it just really kept us dangling. It just kept that carrot dangling in front of us, and we'd reach for it, and then we go, 'Oh.' Then they bring it back out and we reach for it and we go, 'Oh.' But I think now's about the time where they can make it a really strong announcement and we go, 'Yes!' It's like a movie." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
