Belal Muhammad says he’s done chasing Kamaru Usman and is fully focused on Gabriel Bonfim ahead of their UFC Vegas 118 main event on Saturday.
Muhammad had long targeted a showdown with Usman after a prolonged verbal back-and-forth, but the former champion has been out of action for several months following a win over Joaquin Buckley. In the meantime, Muhammad is looking to rebound from two straight losses, including a defeat to Ian Machado Garry.
"For me, it’s like I’m not even thinking about him anymore," Muhammad said of Usman. "The guy’s been avoiding me forever. So I’m not going to keep chasing somebody. So my mindset is Bonfim and then looking at the next guy."
Muhammad also revealed he dealt with vertigo before the Garry fight. "I had vertigo after my weigh-in, and it was the first time I ever felt it. I was literally head shaking the whole time," he said, adding, "It was close to being pulled out. It was like, nah, we’ve been here for two weeks, we’ve been in Qatar. You’re never going to feel healthy with every fight, so you’ve just got to go out there and see what happens."
Looking ahead to UFC Vegas 118, Muhammad believes Bonfim is stepping into a new realm. "I’ve been in there with the best of the best," he said. "He’s never really been in there with anybody like me."
"But my mindset right now is just reminding. Reminding the world, reminding myself and I still think I’m the best fighter in the welterweight division but I’ve just got to go out there and prove it."
