Belal Muhammad believes Kamaru Usman's return may be delayed, open to fighting Leon Edwards meanwhile

From left to right: Belal Muhammad, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards [Image Courtesy: UFC.com]

Fresh off his win over Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 51, Belal Muhammad wants to stay active and is targeting a showdown with welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman. If the champion is unavailable, Muhammad is open to a rematch with Leon Edwards as well.

During his interview with the ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi, Muhammad shared his thoughts on the current dynamic atop the 170 lbs division.

“I don’t wanna wait. I wanna stay active going like I’m healthy, thank God. So I just want to say: whatever card the title fight’s on, I want to be on that card as well. Leon has literally the worst luck ever with fights. So if he gets fight, both 90% chance is probably gonna get unbooked. And for me, I don’t think that Usman’s fully healthy as he says. I know he wants to fight in July, but I don’t think that with that hand injury that he’s gonna be back in July."

Muhammad believes that Usman’s hand injury will delay his return and that Leon Edwards will not want to be sidelined for too long. He further added:

"I think that’s gonna be longer than he thinks. And once he’s actually back to actually hard sparring those injuries reinjure a lot. So if that case is Leon really going to stay on the sidelines until September, October, November? Like none of that really makes sense to me.”

Watch Belal Muhammad discuss Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, and more below:

Belal Muhammad scored a unanimous decision win over Vicente Luque in their rematch that headlined UFC Vegas 51 this past weekend. In their first fight, Luque came away with a knockout victory. Muhammad exacted his revenge in dominant fashion, putting on a wrestling clinic against the Brazilian. The win saw 'Remember The Name' break into the top five at 170 lbs.

Belal Muhammad enters the welterweight top-5 in the updated rankings. https://t.co/T6rVbHK5PQ

Belal Muhammad previews Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards

Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards are reportedly set to square off later this year, although the bout hasn't been confirmed by the UFC yet. During the same interview with ESPN MMA, Belal Muhammad weighed in on the matchup.

"I think honestly that Usman wins it. I think that feeling Edwards' strength in the cage, he’s weak. And I think that Usman will grab a hold on him and Usman will take him down pretty easily. He has good striking, good distance, but I just think that Usman’s wrestling will be too much for him. And I think that’s going to be kind of like a replay of the first fight.”

Belal Muhammad has shared the octagon with Leon Edwards previously. The duo locked horns last year in the main event of a UFC Fight Night, which came to an anticlimatic end. An unfortunate eye-poke saw the bout end in a no contest.

In his next fight, Edwards beat Nate Diaz via unanimous decision. A title shot against Kamaru Usman beckons for the Englishman. They have clashed previously, over six years ago when Usman handily beat 'Rocky'. If the Brit emerges victorious in the rematch, a trilogy bout could be on the cards.

View this post on Instagram

Instagram Post