Daniel Cormier personally believes Belal Muhammad is most deserving of a UFC welterweight title shot but says he would benefit from fighting Kamaru Usman next.
With UFC president Dana White naming Colby Covington the No. 1 contender and champion Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA, 13-2 UFC) eyeing Jorge Masvidal if he gets past Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, that leaves top contender Muhammad out of the mix.
But Cormier thinks that Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) should fight former champion Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) next if he wants to further solidify his case for a title shot. Outside of his back-to-back losses to Edwards, Usman has taken out Covington, Burns and Masvidal.
“I think him (Usman) vs. Belal might be the one, because Belal needs that, like, high-profile win to make people take him seriously,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
Muhammad is unbeaten in his past nine fights, including a no contest against Edwards. However, White revealed that the promotion is currently working on a fight between Muhammad and undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, which Cormier sees as a stern test.
“Belal is easily the most deserving guy,” Cormier said. “There’s no one that deserves it more than Belal Muhammad, but he keeps getting lost in the whole shuffle because it’s just not as interesting. It must be a nightmare for Muhammad to go, ‘God dammit, I had it.’”
He continued, “I believe that Belal is the most deserving guy, but he’s fighting Shavkat. That’s such a tough fight. It’s such a tough fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.
