Tag: Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman calls Belal Muhammad ‘a not-so-good version of myself,’ Muhammad fires back

Kamaru Usman thinks he’s a better version of UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks he’s a better version of UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag].

The pair continue to chirp at each other ever since Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) claimed the welterweight title from Leon Edwards with a dominant performance at UFC 304. Edwards was coming off back-to-back title wins over Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

“My man, you’re kind of a not-so-good version of myself,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “You’re kind of a not so – everything he does, I do better. He’s like, ‘Oh, I did what you couldn’t do, I beat Leon Edwards.’ I have a win over Leon Edwards.

“And in the second fight, I dominated Leon Edwards until lightning struck and he landed the kick. Becoming the new champion, that goes to your head. It’s like having your first beer. All of a sudden now you talking reckless to everybody.”

Muhammad told MMA Junkie that he’d be open to making his first title defense against Usman – even though the former champion is coming off three straight losses. He does however acknowledge that undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is likely next.

Muhammad responded to Usman’s comments on his “Remember the Show” podcast.

“He’s one of the best welterweights to ever do it – I mean, he lost to Leon twice, and I just dominated Leon,” Muhammad said. “I did it better than him. He can say, ‘Oh, I had this win in 2015,’ but bro, that was 2015. Like, why are you sitting there grasping at straws to back then when nobody even knew who Leon was? Nobody knew who you were. This new version of Leon, that’s the version I beat. The one that beat you, that’s the one I just dominated.”

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Daniel Cormier: Belal Muhammad ‘might have to fight Kamaru Usman’ if they keep chirping

Daniel Cormier thinks Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman’s trash talk could lead to them fighting.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]’s trash talk could lead to them fighting.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) dethroned Leon Edwards to become welterweight champion at UFC 304 in July. He has since welcomed Shavkat Rakhmonov as a potential first title defense, and has traded barbs with former champion Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

However, considering that Usman has dropped three straight, a title shot is likely a tough sell. Not in Cormier’s mind though, as the former UFC dual-champion pointed to past examples where bad blood resulted in unwarranted title opportunities.

“This is one of those situations where Belal Muhammad is doing exactly what you’d expect from new champions, but you’ve got to be careful unless that’s exactly what you want,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Either he wants to fight Kamaru Usman, or he’s just chirping because by doing what he’s doing right now, he may have to fight Kamaru Usman, because when you bring a champion back into play, who at this point, isn’t really in contention because of the fights with Leon, and Khamzat (Chimaev). You bring him back into play, the powers that be start going, ‘Well, he did go up to 185 on 10 days’ notice to save a card and fought the guy that’s in a No. 1 contender match. Very close, and if it was a five-round fight, many people thought he was going to win. Maybe he does deserve a chance to fight this guy.’

“We have seen many fights and rivalries built on the fact that the guys don’t like each other. We have seen many fighters get title shots that many of you believe were undeserved, based on the fact that the champion, they did not like. We have seen people like Alex Pereira, who has gone onto become the man, get a title fight in two UFC fights because he had a history with Israel Adesanya. It’s not rocket science. When you bring a man’s name into play like that, especially a man that carries a lot of reputation, that has cache, a man that gets people to show up to the arena, you’ve got to be careful because if that’s not what you really want, you may end up getting that fight.”

Usman’s three losses came twice in title fights against Edwards, then a short-notice middleweight fight against Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023.

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Kamaru Usman has ‘new added motivation’ after Belal Muhammad claimed UFC title

With a new champion crowned at welterweight, Kamaru Usman is fired up.

With a new champion crowned at welterweight, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is fired up.

After five title defenses, Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) lost his welterweight title to Leon Edwards in a come-from-behind knockout loss at UFC 278. He then lost their trilogy bout by close decision at UFC 286.

A fourth fight with Edwards would have been a tough sell, but after [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) dethroned Edwards to capture the title at UFC 304, Usman is confident he can reclaim his belt.

“Well, jump right back into action,” Usman said on his YouTube channel. “The biggest thing for me is getting healthy, so if I can get this healthy and get this body right, I told you, I’m the best in the world. I’ve just got to get my body right.

“So post-champion, post-new champion, first workout, first day in the gym and, obviously when something like that happens, it gives you a new added motivation. I was never not motivated, it’s just getting the health in order.”

Muhammad told MMA Junkie that he expects Shavkat Rakhmonov to be his first title defense, but is also interested in a potential fight with Usman – despite the former champion being on a three-fight losing skid. The pair have been trading barbs on social media ever since.

“Dominated the division ? 😂😂 u beat Masvidal twice and went to cardio kickboxing war with Colby twice (Colby sucks). u were protected by UFC.. now u can barely walk… your podcast sucks ..and ur part in black panther sucked.”

“😂😂😂 you were a background character in a movie about fighting.. they must’ve seen your striking and decided no fight scenes.”

Usman hasn’t competed since a majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 – a short-notice fight at middleweight.

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Kamaru Usman sees path to UFC title fight vs. Belal Muhammad that would ‘satisfy everyone’

Kamaru Usman thinks he could walk into a title shot right now against UFC champ Belal Muhammad and retake the belt.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks he could walk into a title shot right now against UFC champ [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] and retake the belt.

However, as an experienced name in the came, Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) understands he’s unlikely to get a title shot after three consecutive losses, especially when two came against Leon Edwards, who just lost the welterweight belt handily to Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 304 headliner in Manchester, England.

Usman presented his situation on the latest episode of his “Pound-4-Pound Podcast” with co-host Henry Cejudo, and said his more probable scenario will be fighting a top-ranked contender like Shavkat Rakhmonov or Jack Della Maddalena to prove worthy of a crack at Muhammad.

“You want (the perspective of) ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman? Give me ample time to get in there. End of the year, top of the next year I’ll go in there and take my welterweight strap back – 100 percent,” Usman said. “But, if you’re talking to the man that’s from the outside looking in trying to satisfy everybody looking at the landscape of everything. Yes it’s, ‘Ah, he lost to Leon Edwards.’ But people have amnesia very quickly. People forget that I was winning almost 24 minutes of that fight until lightning struck and Leon landed that kick. And I think when you land something like it almost spoiled Leon to where he forgot that, ‘Hey, I was being dominated this exact same way.’ Now you feel, ‘I’m the champion, I can just do whatever I want.’ No. You have to actually go out there and fix those mistakes, which clearly he didn’t fix.

“But because of that loss, the UFC now as a company you’re going to go, ‘OK, I want to get Usman a fight to really show the fans that he’s back and to us that he’s back and deserves a chance to potentially go out there and get that title back. In order to do that, get him someone on the top. That could be Shavkat Rakhmonov, or it could be JDM.”

Usman hasn’t competed since October when he suffered a majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout at UFC 294. He appears intent to return to welterweight for his next fight, where he is No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Marc Ratner anticipates UFC’s ‘next big frontier’ of traveling to Africa, Spain within two years

UFC fighters from Africa and Spain could be be competing on their home country’s soil soon, according to promotion exec Marc Ratner.

UFC vice president of regulatory affairs [autotag]Marc Ratner[/autotag] sees the promotion traveling to two Africa and Spain within the next two years.

Ratner has diligently worked behind the scenes for years, helping to get the UFC into new markets. The Las Vegas-based promotion has successfully planted roots in multiple countries, including a recent focus on Mexico and China.

Promotion officials have often discussed Africa as a destination, especially when the “three kings,” Nigeria’s [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], along with Cameroon’s [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag], were all champions. UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] of South Africa, is the only current champion from the continent.

UFC CEO Dana White has stated that he will not only bring an event to Africa before he retires, but also build a Performance Institute.

Ratner sees it as a possibility, and very soon.

“I think the next big frontier, I believe, whether it’s 2025 or 2026, will be the continent of Africa,” Ratner told MMA Junkie Radio at SEICon. “I think you’ll see fights in Johannesburg or Rwanda, something like that. I think that’s out there.”

Part of bringing an event to a new country is the challenge of finding the appropriate location and venue. This is not only true for a large continent like Africa, where a decision on which country must also be made, but also for smaller countries in Europe such as Ireland, where superstar [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] has wanted to bring an event to a stadium.

“I think the problem with going to Ireland and Croke Park was some time constraints,” Ratner explained. “You couldn’t have it – because you have to do it for American TV also. So like in Manchester, I think the main events will be at 3 or 4 in the morning, something like that. So that comes into play, and I don’t think we could be at that park in Ireland that late.”

Another country on the map for the UFC is Spain, as featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] has rapidly become a big star. The German-born fighter has lived in Spain since a teenager, and has made it a goal to bring a big event to the country.

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, is often mentioned as a possible venue. With its 80,000-seat capacity for soccer games, it would be an incredible scene for a UFC event.

“Topuria’s a tremendous fighter, and Spain will happen someday,” Ratner said. “It won’t be this year, but I would love to see it happen. … (2025) is certainly a (possibility).”

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Kamaru Usman on Alex Pereira: Knocking out everybody doesn’t mean you’re No. 1 pound-for-pound

Kamaru Usman wants to see UFC champ Alex Pereira involved in more well rounded fights before anointing him P4P No. 1.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] stands by his opinion that [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] should not be high up in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) jumped up to the No. 2 spot on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings after knocking out Jiri Prochazka to retain his light heavyweight title at UFC 303. He overtook UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and only lightweight champion Islam Makhachev is in front of him.

Former welterweight champion Usman praised Pereira for his power but doesn’t think his style is well-rounded enough to translate from division to division – even though Pereira now has won UFC titles at both middleweight and light heavyweight. “Poatan” has even teased a possible move to heavyweight.

“When we talk pound-for-pound, let’s not forget, pound-for-pound is a hypothetical,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “That means, do you possess the highest level of striking, of wrestling, of kickboxing, of grappling, of jiu-jitsu? That’s what that means. Which means if you were put in flyweight or if you were put in welterweight or if you were put in heavyweight, your style would transfer all throughout those divisions, and you will be able to be victorious and still be No. 1.

“That’s all that means. Yes, you can stand and knock everybody out – guys who aren’t moving, guys who aren’t shooting on you, guys who aren’t testing your grappling. But that doesn’t mean you are No. 1 pound-for-pound. So, don’t be upset about that. Don’t be butt hurt about it. If anything, show me you’re pound-for-pound. Go out there, take the next guy down, get on top, full mount, switch up, armbar on top. That lets me know, ‘Oh, sh*t. OK.'”

Pereira now has defended his light heavyweight title twice, scoring knockouts of Jamahall Hill and Prochazka for a second time. Top contender Magomed Ankalaev is chomping at the bit to get his title opportunity, but Pereira’s next opponent is yet to be announced.

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Nate Diaz ‘a world-class fighter’? Kamaru Usman says ‘that’s absurd’

Kamaru Usman is flabbergasted by Henry Cejudo’s campaign for Nate Diaz to get a UFC title shot.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is flabbergasted by [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag]’s campaign for [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] to get a UFC title shot.

Welterweight champion Leon Edwards was among the names Diaz called out following his majority decision boxing win over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Diaz fought Edwards in a non-title fight at UFC 263. Edwards was dominating Diaz until he got rocked in the final minute of the fight. Edwards survived and won by unanimous decision. Cejudo argued that Diaz is a lucrative enough name to get a rematch against Edwards, but Usman wasn’t having any of it.

“Nate Diaz is on the completely tail-end of his career,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Yes, of course he’s made a great name for himself and big shoutout to Nate Diaz for still having that notoriety to be able to go out there and still get paychecks like this because he’s getting all these good fights on the outside, but come on. This ain’t Nate Diaz is going to come in and walk into fighting world-class mixed martial arts fighters right now in the UFC. Come on. That’s absurd.”

Diaz is no longer with the UFC, but Dana White said the octagon will always be his home.

“So are you saying Nate Diaz ain’t a world-class fighter?” Cejudo asked.

“He can still fight, but he’s not a world class fighter,” Usman responded. “Are you crazy? Throw Nate Diaz in there with Shavkat Rakhmonov, throw Nate Diaz in there with myself, throw Nate Diaz in there with JDM (Della Maddalena), throw Nate Diaz in there with Justin Gaethje. Come on!”

Diaz also expressed interest in fighting Jake Paul, and that’s a fight Usman thinks he should take.

“Nate Diaz, PFL and Jake Paul offer you $15 million to fight him in MMA, I’m taking that Nate Diaz,” Usman said. “I actually think he wins that fight. Shout out to Nate Diaz, I think he actually wins a fight like that.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Video: Former UFC champ Kamaru Usman mic’d up during NHL Stanley Cup final

Watch and listen as former UFC champ Kamaru Usman and former NFL running back Mark Ingram took in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

As two conference winning teams fought it out in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup final, a former UFC champion was on hand in South Florida to cheer on the local squad.

Ex-welterweight champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] was against the glass at Amerant Arena for Game 5 between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers – and the NHL had him mic’d up.

Tuesday’s game saw Florida lose 5-3 with the Oilers keeping their championship hopes alive after losing the first three games of the series.

Joining Usman was former NFL running back Mark Ingram. Both athletes were decked out in personalized jerseys with large Panthers-themed chain necklaces.

The Oilers also won Game 6, 5-1, to rally from down 3-0 to force a Game 7, which takes place Monday back in Sunrise, Fla. It remains to be seen if Usman will be back to attend a game that will be for all the marbles.

Kamaru Usman responds to Shavkat Rakhmonov: ‘Khamzat was arguably scarier than him’

Kamaru Usman takes umbrage with Shavkat Rakhmonov claiming that he doesn’t want to fight him.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] takes umbrage with [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] claiming that he doesn’t want to fight him.

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was linked to a fight with Jack Della Maddalena, but Maddalena is currently recovering from arm surgery. “Nomad” turned his attention to a title shot, after accusing Usman and Colby Covington of avoiding him.

“JDM is hurt, Usman and Colby don’t want it. I’m ready to face the winner of Leon vs Belal.”

Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) addressed Rakhmonov, pointing to his short-notice matchup against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 as proof that he’s willing to fight anyone. The former welterweight champion lost a majority decision to Chimaev.

Usman also discussed training with Rakhmonov at Kill Cliff FC.

“At the end of the day, people act like, ‘Oh, you scared to fight this guy?’ You don’t become champion to defend over and over and over because you’re scared to fight somebody,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Like, shut up. Y’all get me going again. … This is one of those things because he does come down here in South Florida to train at a gym that I’ve been training at before he was even – see, now the competitor of me is going to come out and I’m going to start talking sh*t. Listen, I’m not even in that place, but all I can say is before he was dreaming of fighting in the UFC, I’ve been in this gym training and doing whatever and helping my guys get to the top while I got to the top.

“I know he comes down to South Florida and he trains, but it is what it is. I understand he’s a young and hungry contender or what not. But listen, there’s this thing called respect, and you show the respect in order for you to get the respect. I’m the type of guy who I’ve been to the mountaintop, and then I’ve come down. You saw in that clip, I was helping you out. I was giving you a look. It’s not one of those things to where you could sit here and say, ‘Oh, I’m scared of you, I don’t want it.’ Listen, I took Khamzat on nine days’ notice. Khamzat was arguably scarier than him, and he’s been hurt. Khamzat hadn’t at that point fought a fight that lasted really till you know – most of his fights ended in the first round.”

Usman reacted to a clip which was released from the “Fight Inc: Inside the UFC” documentary, showing Dana White trying to make Usman vs. Rakhmonov at UFC 294. His manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is shown pitching Usman vs. Stephen Thompson instead, but Usman wound up stepping in to face Chimaev on less than 10 days’ notice.

“First and foremost, I’m not even in the game right now, so that’s the least of – I’m not even worried about any of that,” Usman said. “This was done a year ago, and after that, guess what? I stepped in there on nine days’ notice and fought possibly the most dangerous guy in the UFC at that time, Khamzat Chimaev.

“When I do get back into the octagon, I don’t give a flying frick who it is. If it’s Cousin John, if it’s this guy, if it’s that guy, if it’s Shavkat, if it’s JDM, if it’s this guy, if it’s Leon Edwards, or if it’s Belal (Muhammad), I don’t care who it is. When I’m ready to step back into the octagon and I want to fight somebody, I don’t give a sh*t. I’ll fight who I need to fight.”

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Jan Blachowicz welcomes Kamaru Usman challenge ‘if you still feel the same about it’

Kamaru Usman and Jan Blachowicz are no longer UFC champions, but that hasn’t fizzled their interest in a potential matchup.

[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] is still steadfast in his belief he could’ve moved up two divisions to light heavyweight when he was still welterweight champion and defeated the champion at the time.

Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was written off as crazy several years ago when he faced off with then-light heavyweight titleholder [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] backstage at a UFC event and teased moving up 35 pounds in weight.

It never materialized, and both men eventually lost their championship belts. Usman most recently competed at middleweight for the first time with a narrow loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October, while Blachowicz (29-10-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) is recovering from multiple surgeries in hopes of returning to the octagon this year.

Although the ship has seemingly sailed on the Usman vs. Blachowicz pairing, perhaps it’s not totally off the table. During a recent episode of his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with co-host Henry Cejudo, former longtime UFC champ Usman explained why he felt so confident in calling out Blachowicz (via X):

“I wouldn’t have called for 205 if I didn’t think at that point that the style favoured me and I could do it,” Usman said. “Everybody’s got power when the fight starts, but you grab their leg and you drag him down, the fight completely changes. And that’s exactly what I was gonna do. Glover Teixeira did the exact same thing (to Blachowicz).”

Never afraid of a challenge, Blachowicz took to social media and Saturday and let Usman know that if he’s still interested, the door is open for them to fight (via X):

“If you still feel the same about it let’s go,” Blachowicz wrote. “I will be ready.”

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