UFC veteran Matt Brown has backed Belal Muhammad to beat Khamzat Chimaev and potentially Kamaru Usman in hypothetical matchups.
Top-ranked welterweight contender Muhammad was last seen in action against up-and-coming prospect Sean Brady at UFC 280 in October. He went into the bout looking to extend his eight-fight unbeaten run against Brady, who had not tasted defeat in his first 15 outings as a professional mixed martial artist. ‘Remember the Name’ only needed two rounds to dispatch Brady by TKO, handing him the first loss of his career.
Matt Brown backs Belal Muhammad as the ‘biggest threat’ to Kamaru Usman, says he can beat Khamzat Chimaev
In an appearance on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Matt Brown heaped praises on Belal Muhammad as the biggest threat to former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
“If you want to talk about biggest threat to [Kamaru] Usman, I’m going with Belal Muhammad,” Brown said (ht MMA Fighting). “I think Belal Muhammad is probably the biggest threat to all of these guys. I think Usman beats Leon and the champ at the end of the year is either Belal or Usman.”
“Any fight is a winnable fight for Belal,” Brown added. “Him fighting Usman is what I would love to see. I’m 50-50 on that fight. I’m not totally convinced Usman beats Belal Muhammad. That’s a tough fight for him. Just again, it’s that pace. Belal keeps such a pace, has a great chin, keeps coming forward, keeps throwing punches, hits hard.”
Brown says Muhammad can beat Khamzat Chimaev
Brown believes Muhammad has the skillset to beat top-ranked contender Khamzat Chimaev and suggested it would be a close affair.
“Belal and Gilbert [Burns] are very similar body types, the way they throw punches and stuff but Belal keeps a much higher pace and stays a little bit more disciplined in his approach,” Brown said. “I think Belal beats Khamzat and I’m 50-50 on him beating Usman.
“That’s a really, really close fight that I think goes to a decision and is probably a really tough call for the judges.”
Belal Muhammad has been rallying for a shot at the newly crowned 170-pound champion Leon Edwards. Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier extended his support for Muhammad to get a title shot next but all signs point to an immediate title rematch between Usman and Edwards.
