UFC champ Belal Muhammad unloads on Kamaru Usman after criticism: ‘You’re just a podcaster now’

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was taken aback by Kamaru Usman’s recent comments.

While discussing the fallout from UFC 311 on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, former champ Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was critical of Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) and Islam Makhachev for agreeing not to fight each other in what could be a big champion vs. champion fight.

Muhammad found the comments to be hypocritical because, when Usman was champion, he refused to go up to middleweight to face then-champ and good friend Israel Adesanya. Beyond that, Muhammad thinks Usman should focus on what’s going to happen next in his own career rather than trying to play matchmaker.

“It’s so funny when you have a guy like him. He’s on a three-fight losing streak, and when these guys are calling him out, he’s acting like – he’s putting himself on this pedestal like he’s still the champ, like they shouldn’t be calling him out,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie Radio. “But, bro, you’re just a podcaster now. You haven’t fought in over a year. If you’re not gonna defend your ranking, then leave. Quit.

“You’re on a three-fight losing streak and should start looking at retirement now, or you’re gonna get on that Tony Ferguson losing streak, and people are gonna forget that you were ever champion.”

Usman ‘never wanted to fight the toughest guys’

Nigeria's Kamaru Usman falls during his Middleweight bout against Russia's Khamzat Chimaev in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 294 (UFC) event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 21, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images) — Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman falls during his Middleweight bout against Russia’s Khamzat Chimaev in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 294 (UFC) event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on October 21, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Having lost three straight, Usman, 37, is on the roughest stretch of his pro career. He lost his welterweight title to Leon Edwards at UFC 278, failed to win an immediate rematch, and then came up short in a short-notice replacement against Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout.

When Usman was champ, he defended the title five times by facing Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice each, and also defeated Gilbert Burns. In Muhammad’s eyes, it was a reign that saw Usman take an easy path.

“We do know that Kamaru never wanted to fight the toughest guys,” Muhammad said. “He never looked for the toughest test. He was that champion that would be like, ‘Oh, I beat Colby already. Let me get that rematch with Colby again. I think he deserves it. Oh, I beat Masividal. Let me fight Masvidal again.’ He made it seem like he fought the next toughest guys, but he never fought the guys on a streak.

“… I was on a streak, and he acted like he didn’t know who I was. So we’ve seen it. When he had his first tough title defense against Leon Edwards, he got knocked out and then he lost again to him. He was never a guy that chased the toughest test. So, it’s funny that he’s coming on now saying, ‘Oh, these guys, they act like they train together. No, they should be fighting each other.’ It’s like, ‘Bro, are you still a welterweight? Are you still trying to chase the title? Do you think you still have a chance? Why don’t you throw your name in the mix?'”

‘I just feel bad for him’

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Despite the venom spit back at Usman, Muhammad recognizes that the former champ still has a valuable name. In fact, for “The Nigerian Nightmare” to get a shot at the title, Muhammad isn’t asking a lot: Just get back in the win column against solid competition.

“I just need Usman to get a win,” Muhammad said. “Like, he sucks so bad right now, like it’s just embarrassing where I just feel bad for him. Like he goes out there, you obviously have to fight somebody that’s on a streak. I think Buckley called him out. Buckley’s been killing it at 170. He just made Colby look like a rookie. I think he goes out there and figures out a way to beat him. I know they offered him JDM, but he turned it down because he’s a coward.

“So, I think for now, he’s just waiting waiting on the sidelines, trying to have that like Conor McGregor mentality of just whenever a welterweight fight happens, just tweeting out. Just so he gets attention or he gets in the headlines because people are forgetting about him. He has to fight somebody on a streak, and he has to beat them to even be considered to get a shot at this title.”