Kamaru Usman throws "blueprint" jibe at Belal Muhammad, asks UFC champion to "at least say thank you"
Belal Muhammad's welterweight championship triumph over Leon Edwards was a team effort. Unfortunately, 'Remember the Name' didn't count on Kamaru Usman also claiming credit for the win, with 'The Nigerian Nightmare' taking to X/Twitter to voice his thoughts on Muhammad's performance.
At UFC 304, Muhammad was fairly dominant as he both outstruck and outwrestled former welterweight champion Edwards en route to a title-winning unanimous decision. The key to his success was relentless pressure and takedowns, with which Edwards struggled mightily.
Usman has opined that the manner in which Muhammad's fought with Edwards played out was strikingly similar to his own success against 'Rocky' in their previous matchups, namely his first win and ultimate defeat in their second outing, which was defined by Usman dominating much of it before a fateful head kick.
"Whose blueprint did you copy to help you win that fight. Damn at least say thank you."
Check out the back-and-forth exchange between Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad below:
The tweet came in response to an earlier social media exchange between the pair. A clip was recently shared of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev posing for a photo-op with 'Remember the Name,' during which he instructed the newly minted welterweight king on how to hold a championship belt.
This prompted Usman to poke fun at Muhammad by praising Makhachev for teaching him how to hold a title. Naturally, Muhammad, who has become more comfortable with trash talk as of late, fired back by stating that Makhachev had also helped him wipe off Usman's fingerprints from the belt.
Whether the growing animosity between the two men leads to anything remains to be seen, as Usman will almost certainly need to win, at least, one fight and snap his three-fight losing streak before he can even think of challenging Muhammad for welterweight gold.
Belal Muhammad has been ramping up his UFC feuds
Kamaru Usman isn't the only former champion on a losing streak that Belal Muhammad has found himself on the wrong side of. 'Remember the Name' recently engaged ex-featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, who is coming off two consecutive knockout losses, in a trash-talking back-and-forth.
The Australian star had incorrectly predicted a Leon Edwards win at UFC 304 before expressing confidence in his own chances against Muhammad. Naturally, Muhammad took issue with it, claiming he'd smack him around. This, of course, did not sit well with Volkanovski, who did not back down.
"Say 'shut up, I'll smack the sh*t out of you' to my face and see what happens," Volkanovski tweeted.
Moreover, Volkanovski dared Belal Muhammad to repeat those very same words the next time they're face-to-face.