Belal Muhammad has again publicly called out Colby Covington and insisted he hates his fellow American even more than UFC rival Leon Edwards.
Following his win over Demian Maia last month, Muhammad (19-3, 1 NC) immediately called for a fight with Covington, with the top-ranked contender claiming Covington and Kamaru Usman 'are not gonna fight each other'.
However, UFC president Dana White has recently confirmed that Covington (16-2) is next in line and will face Usman (19-1) in a rematch for the UFC welterweight title at some point later this year.
But the former Titan FC welterweight champion disagrees and revealed that he thinks that the two should fight each other for the No. 1 contender spot.
“I still don’t understand why Colby’s getting the title fight,” Muhammad said to MMA Junkie. “Yeah, it was a great fight, but you got your jaw broken and you’ve been sitting on the sidelines ever since that fight.
“Usman fought three times since that fight, and you’re just sitting out. It’s not like you’re a huge pay-per-view draw.
"It’s not like if I’m Usman, I’m like, ‘Yeah, let me get that Colby fight, I’m gonna get 800,00 pay-per-views.’
"The first one did 200,000 pay-per-views, so it’s not like you’re gonna make a big payday with that, regardless.”
What did Belal Muhammad say about Leon Edwards?
Muhammad also spoke about his bitter rivalry with Edwards and detailed why he wants to fight Covington instead of the Birmingham fighter.
"I want Colby more than anybody," he added. "The hatred I have for that guy is levels above Leon.
"Of course I want Leon back just because the way that one ended, but Colby’s still a level above him."
Muhammad also believes Covington is a one-dimensional fighter with a strong wrestling base and claims he has been avoiding fighting him for the past four years.
He continued: “I’ve been calling out Colby since I fought in Australia against Tim Means. I’ve always wanted to fight Colby Covington.
"With this last fight showing that I can defend a takedown, it shows people that it will be a great matchup.
“It will be a fun matchup to see what happens if Colby can’t get a takedown, what’s he gonna do?”
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