A new beef is brewing in the MMA world between Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad, and tensions are rising after recent comments. The source of the heat? Islam Makhachev’s mentality and reluctance to face certain contenders, specifically Usman and Muhammad. The Dagestani, fresh off his successful lightweight title defense at UFC 311 against Renato Moicano, made waves by expressing his desire to face Dricus Du Plessis for a potential triple-champ fight.

The Dagestani champ has already hinted at a welterweight move, but the path is far from smooth. The P4P king has previously revealed that he would rather not fight Muhammad or No. 1 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, Usman doesn’t see it that way. The former 170lbs kingpin was frustrated with Makhachev’s soft stance.

On his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Usman continued to voice his frustrations. “This whole notion of Belal training with them, ‘I don’t wanna [fight him] —‘ Bro, no,” Usman said. “I’m going up [should be Islam’s stance] and I’m whooping him, I don’t care. Just because he comes into our camp and just tries to use our bodies and learn our style.”

This did not sit well with Muhammad who posted a fiery jibe on his X account. “Stop speaking my name until you [Usman] finally end your losing streak … or you change the podcast name to ‘loss after loss.” Muhammad’s message was direct and delivered a strong jab at Usman’s recent form who is 0-3 in his last three Octagon outings.

Makhachev has his sights set on a second UFC title and his dominant win over Renato Moicano has brought that dream one step closer to reality. However, to claim the welterweight title, he will likely need to face the winner of the highly anticipated title fight between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Islam Makhachev and his prospects at 170lbs

It was previously thought that Islam Makhachev would find himself facing Ilia Topuria down the line, but he knows exactly which fight he wants next. When asked about the potential for a showdown with Topuria or the winner of the Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov fight, Makhachev responded with a clear preference. “I think the second one is more likely because a fight against Topuria doesn’t make sense. What’s the point? For a belt? I have money, I don’t need it. I need the second belt,” Makhachev said in an interview with ‘Shak MMA.’

This statement is intriguing because Muhammad has previously trained with Makhachev’s camp, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who considers Belal a friend, believes in not fighting someone from their own circle. The bond between Muhammad and ‘The Eagle’ runs deep, and Khabib has even admitted that preparing Makhachev to fight someone as close to him as Belal would be challenging.

“My heart is not OK. It’s going to be hard to prepare Islam to beat Belal. He’s very close to me… For me, it’s going to be hard to prepare somebody to beat Belal,” Khabib explained on Henry Cejudo’s ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast. With Makhachev continuing to defend his title, all eyes are now on who he will face next—will it be the winner of Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov, or will he seek out a different challenge?

The potential matchup with Belal Muhammad remains one of the most intriguing possibilities. What do you think will happen next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.