Belal Muhammad eyeing "over the hill" Kamaru Usman's fame as something to use to his advantage, speculates Ben Askren

Belal Muhammad's next fight is of great interest to MMA fans, and according to Ben Askren, it may very well be against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The two men have chirped at each other over the past weeks. In fact, their rivalry arose from the moment Muhammad captured welterweight gold.

Usman made a tongue-in-cheek demand for Muhammad to offer him credit for supposedly showing him the blueprint to beating the great Leon Edwards. Both welterweights have been at each other's throats since then. However, as 'Funky' told Daniel Cormier in a recent sitdown, it is likely by design.

Askren believes that Muhammad is using Usman's name value as one of the greatest welterweights of all time, possibly intent on using it to boost his own résumé.

"So, one of the ways Belal could see it is this is a guy [Kamaru Usman] who has a big name, who held the belt for a while and now he's over the hill. So, he could be an easier opponent for me potentially."

When Cormier interjected with a reminder of how good 'The Nigerian Nightmare' looked in his short-notice majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev, 'Funky' reminded him that the bout took place a year ago. Furthermore, he pointed out Usman's age as an indicator of potential decline.

Ultimately, Askren opined that Muhammad is looking to use Usman's reputation to bolster his own.

"[Shavkat] Rakhmanov is really tough. So, you know, Belal is probably thinking, 'Hey, let me get a big name. Let me get someone whose best days are probably past him, and let me see if I can build my reputation here."

Check out Ben Askren's speculation on Belal Muhammad vs. Kamaru Usman (10:51 and 14:17):

Whether the matchup actually comes to pass remains to be seen, but Usman has taken exception to the narrative that he is on the decline. Muhammad, however, who has become far more of a trash-talker as of late, will almost certainly poke and prod him over it.

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Belal Muhammad released a Kamaru Usman diss track

Trash-talking has been an MMA staple for years, but Belal Muhammad has taken it to new, inventive heights with an AI-generated diss track he released on Kamaru Usman. The lyrics, though, were fairly tame, focused largely on the latter's physical decline.

Check out Belal Muhammad's Kamaru Usman diss track:

It mocked 'The Nigerian Nightmare's' knockout loss to Leon Edwards, as well as the accumulation of injuries and physical woes he's experienced over the years, especially with his knees.