Dricus Du Plessis’ dominant win over Kamaru Usman at UFC Fight Night 281 drew a blunt reaction from former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
Du Plessis defeated Usman by unanimous decision in their 185-pound bout, with the judges scoring it 50-45, 49-46, 49-46. It was Usman’s first fight after a 13-month layoff and marked his fourth loss in his past five outings while competing between welterweight and middleweight.
Muhammad, who has a history of animosity with Usman after a podcast altercation and a discussed but never-booked fight, said he expected the result. “I wasn't really surprised,” Muhammad said. “I picked Du Plessis to win. I thought his awkward style was going to be a little too much, but I thought Usman would be able to get a couple of takedowns. I figured it would go back and forth a little bit with the wrestling and grappling. I wanted to see if Du Plessis got better with it, but also I think Usman taking all that time off, right? What has it been, like one fight in three years? Then you come out and fight an awkward guy like (Du Plessis). It's hard to get timing, hard to get yourself acclimated to it. I thought that was a little bit too much for him. You could just tell he wasn't comfortable and couldn't see a lot of the stuff that Du Plessis was throwing at him. …”
Muhammad also questioned Usman’s reaction to the scorecards, adding, “I don't know what Usman was thinking. I don't know why he was upset by the decision. It was clear for DDP.”
The former champion, who is on a three-fight losing streak following recent setbacks to Jack Della Maddalena and Gabriel Bonfim, said he still wants the big names. “I've been chasing him and Colby (Covington) forever, right? But he's been taking off years after a fight. I'm not taking off a year after a fight,” Muhammad said.
Despite his skid, Muhammad is intent on a quick return. “I'm hoping to get another fight in before the end of this year. Me? I'm feeling good, trying to get better, still trying to grow, and just waiting for a call.”
