In the early hours of Sunday, June 15, 2025, former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman turned back the hands of time and turned in a vintage performance. Usman seemingly dominated streaking welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley en route to a unanimous decision victory. After the fight, Usman made it clear that he’d like to fight Islam Makhachev for the title he once held. However, one of his former foes thinks he should fight him for the right to compete for the promotion’s welterweight title.
Less than three months have passed since Belal Muhammad lost the UFC Welterweight Championship to Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC 315, but that doesn’t mean Muhammad isn’t already thinking about a comeback. Shortly after Usman beat Buckley in Atlanta, Georgia, Muhammad threw his hat in the ring for a potential fight with the former champion.
“Let’s do it. I think [Usman] could pick the date, pick the time, the place, and I’ll be ready for it. Watching this fight, I see [Usman is] not going to take me down like that,” he said. “Watching this fight, I see you’re not going to take me down like that. I think [the whole fight] will look like the fifth round […] when we fight. It’s not going to be what Buckley was. It’s going to be a lot harder. I think it will be all on the feet. It will definitely be a fun fight and I’m excited for it. I’m ready for it and it gets me hyped. I’ve been waiting for it. I’ve been wanting it, so hopefully the UFC makes it.”
Usman and Muhammad have not shared the octagon, but they do not appear to be on good terms. Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman reportedly came to blows when Muhammad appeared on Usman’s show, Pound For Pound. However, the episode was never released, leading some to speculate that an altercation of some sort had taken place. Still, that’s not enough for the UFC Atlanta winner to divert from his ultimate goal — fighting for the title one more time before retiring.
“Who is it? Who’s that? Next,” he answered when asked about a potential fight with Muhammad following his win against Buckley.
Instead, Usman hopes to fight the current welterweight titleholder, Islam Makachev.
“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?”
