Belal Muhammad weighs in on the Sean Brady vs. Kamaru Usman matchup
Belal Muhammad believes Sean Brady would finish Kamaru Usman.
On Saturday night, Brady continued his bounce-back tour with a unanimous decision win against Gilbert Burns. The 31-year-old received heavy criticism due to a loss against Muhammad in October 2022, but he's bounced back by taking out Kelvin Gastelum and now Burns in the UFC Vegas 97 main event.
Brady's latest win furthered his presence in the UFC welterweight title picture. Following his dominant performance against Burns, the American called for a fight against number-seven-ranked Ian Garry or an opponent in the top five.
Another potential opponent for Brady is number-two-ranked Kamaru Usman, who is looking to end a three-fight losing streak. It's unclear if the UFC is interested in booking the matchup, but Belal Muhammad, the division's champion, took to Twitter and had this to say about how the bout would play out:
"Brady finishes usman"
Kamaru Usman suffered back-to-back losses against Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title. In October 2023, Usman's latest fight didn't put him back in the win column, as he faced Khamzat Chimaev in a short-notice middleweight matchup and lost by majority decision.
Usman has voiced confidence in his next fight being for the welterweight title or a number-one contender bout. It'll be intriguing to see if the UFC grants his request or offers him a fight against someone outside the top five like Sean Brady.
Belal Muhammad seems destined for title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov
Earlier this year, Belal Muhammad etched his name into UFC history by becoming the welterweight champion. Muhammad has only fought twice in the last two years but plans to stay active by defending his throne in late 2024 or early 2025.
Muhammad's one-sided fight against Leon Edwards will likely prevent the latter from receiving an immediate rematch. Therefore, the next worthy contender would be number-three-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is 6-0 in the UFC, all finishes.
Muhammad and Rakhmonov have established a slight rivalry by exchanging insults on social media. It wouldn't be surprising to see 'Remember The Name' defend his title against the undefeated Kazakhstan fighter next time out.