Belal Muhammad, Kamaru Usman Trade Barbs After UFC 304
In August and September 2024, new welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and former titleholder Kamaru Usman traded barbs online. Muhammad had just taken the belt from Leon Edwards and said he wanted Shavkat Rakhmonov as his first challenger. The prediction has since been overtaken by events: Muhammad defended the title against no one before losing it, and he and Usman never fought.
What started the exchange
Usman challenged Muhammad’s account of pursuing a title shot while Usman was champion. Muhammad mocked parts of Usman’s title run and podcast appearances. Usman later called Muhammad “a not-so-good version of myself,” drawing another response from the new champion. Sports Illustrated covered the back-and-forth.
Muhammad said an undefeated Rakhmonov would make for a meaningful first title defense. At the time, Usman was on a three-fight losing streak, a fact Muhammad cited when arguing that a win over him might not earn the same credit. Muhammad later withdrew from his scheduled December 2024 defense against Rakhmonov because of a bone infection in his foot; the bout was canceled.
Their careers went separate ways
Muhammad lost the title to Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision in May 2025. He then lost decisions to Ian Machado Garry in November 2025 and Gabriel Bonfim in June 2026. The official scorecards show Bonfim won 50–45 on all three cards.
Usman ended his own losing streak by defeating Joaquin Buckley in June 2025, then returned to middleweight to face Dricus du Plessis on July 18, 2026. Du Plessis won by unanimous decision. MMA Fighting’s report lists scores of 50–45, 49–46 and 49–46. Before that bout, Muhammad said he had stopped chasing a matchup with Usman and was focused on Gabriel Bonfim. The online feud never became a fight.
