One of the infamous scuffles of the welterweight division reportedly went down in late 2024. In an unreleased episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, during the shoot in Las Vegas, Belal Muhammad, who was the welterweight champion at the time, and Kamaru Usman reportedly got into a physical altercation.

Since then, for the better part of last year, the two have exchanged barbs on social media, fueling their rivalry. Ahead of his UFC Vegas 118 bout with Gabriel Bonfim this weekend, a fan decided to ask Muhammad about the infamous altercation with Usman. In his reply to the fan, the former welterweight champion claimed he had slapped Usman.

“I made him cry,” Muhammad said via UFC video. “It was one of those moments where his ego got broken, and then he got slapped, and his cheek got broken. So, it was just a bad night for Usman. I’ll let you get your lick back, Usman. Just release the podcast.”

While the precise nature of the scuffle remains unclear with contradicting statements from both, the podcast’s co-host Henry Cejudo did confirm key details in a JAXXON interview in May last year.

“So legit, there was a scuffle there, dude,” Cejudo said. “I was in the middle. I had a f—–g sprained ankle, I was trying to [get in the middle], the whole production crew started coming in. Like they had to detain both of them. There was about a good eight people there, and four [were] trying to get on Belal, but hands were thrown, slaps were given.”

This is not the first time Belal Muhammad has claimed to have slapped Kamaru Usman. He told the same story before clashing with Ian Garry in Qatar late last year. From what the two have said on the issue, it appears there might be some truth to Muhammad’s claims. Following the scuffle, Kamaru Usman also opened up about the altercation with the then-champion.

According to CBS Sports, the Nigerian-American revealed that Muhammad said some ‘distasteful’ words to him that actually set him off. Later, ‘Remember the Name’ also confirmed that it was an argument over their title reign and losing streak that ignited their competitive spark and pushed them both to get in each other’s face.

All of that heated build-up could’ve translated into a grudge match between the two former champions. But unfortunately, a Muhammad vs. Usman clash remains one of the most anticipated fights that likely will never happen.

Belal Muhammad has no interest in “chasing” Kamaru Usman anymore

Belal Muhammad understands that a fight against Kamaru Usman would be great. However, the UFC not booking the fight so far has made the former welterweight champion believe that Usman is probably avoiding him. So, Muhammad now wants to stop chasing that fight and focus completely on his bout against Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Vegas 118.

“For me, it’s like I’m not even thinking about him anymore,” Muhammad told MMA Fighting. “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. [Usman] got away.

“It’s whatever. For me, I can’t think about him anymore. Now it’s Gabriel. Once they said him, I’m like, all right, that’s it. Now it’s about getting my hand raised. Getting back in the win column and reminding people who I am.”

While a Kamaru Usman vs. Belal Muhammad fight makes sense, the Palestinian-American has indeed lost two fights in a row against Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry. Those defeats came against championship-level fighters, not up-and-comers. On the other hand, Usman just got back into the win column after a three-fight skid by beating Joaquin Buckley.

Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman is rumored to move up and challenge Dricus du Plessis at middleweight. As such, the fight between the two now feels more distant than ever before. Still, if the former welterweight champion somehow decides to move up or Usman decides to move down after the DDP fight, the UFC can definitely explore this matchup as a Fight Night headliner or a co-main event on a numbered card.