Belal Muhammad says he'd take a Mike Malott fight if Kamaru Usman won't commit

Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad said on Tuesday, Oct. 20, that he would fight Mike Malott if Kamaru Usman won't. He said it on his YouTube channel, as reported by Heavy, and repeated it on X, according to MiddleEasy. No fight has been booked.

"The fight definitely makes sense," Muhammad said in the video. He still wants Usman, he added, "but I'm not gonna sit there and wait." His post on X, as MiddleEasy quoted it, was shorter:

If they offer me Mike Malott I am gonna say YES! Book it.

We couldn't find a public response from Malott or Usman as of Wednesday.

Why Malott, and why now

Malott is coming off the biggest win of his career. On Saturday, Oct. 17, he knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a knee at 2:32 of the second round in the UFC Edmonton main event. It earned him Performance of the Night, according to MMA Sucka.

That made five straight wins, after Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Kevin Holland and Gilbert Burns. The 34-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, is 15-2-1 overall and 8-1 in the UFC (Wikipedia). In the UFC's rankings on ufc.com, updated Tuesday, he climbed to No. 10. Muhammad is No. 7 and Usman No. 9. On the Meta UFC Rankings, which Heavy and MiddleEasy cite, Malott is No. 8 and Usman No. 11.

After the fight, Malott told reporters he wants to be on the card when the UFC returns to Canada in January. "I'm ready to defend Canada in the Octagon," he said, according to Heavy. He named no opponent, saying only that he was "waiting for the call" from the top 10. That event is UFC 336, set for Jan. 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (Cageside Press).

Muhammad has already studied Malott. In a YouTube breakdown before Edmonton, he picked him to beat Buckley, mostly with takedowns (Yahoo Sports). Malott won with a knee instead.

Where Muhammad stands

Muhammad (24-6, 1 NC) beat Leon Edwards for the title at UFC 304 in July 2024. He lost it to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in May 2025 (Wikipedia). Decision losses to Ian Machado Garry in November 2025 and Gabriel Bonfim in June 2026 followed. Before the skid, he went 11 fights without a loss: 10 wins and a no contest.

He has asked for Usman for years, and the UFC has never booked it. In June he said Usman had "been avoiding me forever" (BJPenn.com). Usman gave his side in October 2025: "I have nothing to gain from fighting Belal Muhammad," he said, adding that he wanted the title (MMA Sucka). In September, Muhammad said he was open to moving up to middleweight for the fight, if the UFC offered it (Heavy).

Usman (21-5) last fought in July, losing a decision to Dricus du Plessis as a +175 underdog (CageOracle).

What the betting record shows

Since 2020, the market has mostly underrated Muhammad. Across the 11 fights we track, he is 8-3 at closing odds and 5-1 as an underdog, including the Edwards win at +217 (CageOracle). He went into the Della Maddalena fight as a −200 favourite and lost. After that he closed at +225 against Garry and −116 against Bonfim, and lost both.

Malott is 7-1 in the eight UFC fights we have closing odds for (CageOracle). His 2022 debut against Mickey Gall has none. He closed at −132 against Buckley. His only UFC loss came as a −380 favourite against Neil Magny at UFC 297, in Toronto. There are no odds on Muhammad vs. Malott, because the fight isn't booked.

We think it's a sensible booking for both men. If it landed in Toronto, Malott would get a former champion in front of a home crowd. Muhammad would get a ranked opponent who wants to fight soon, which Usman has said he doesn't. The bigger risk is Muhammad's: a fourth straight loss would come against a fighter ranked below him.

What's next

No UFC 336 fights have been officially announced. The rumoured main event, champion Islam Makhachev against Carlos Prates, isn't settled either. Makhachev's manager, Rizvan Magomedov, said it is "not close to becoming a reality," according to MMA Sucka on Wednesday. Tickets for the Toronto card go on sale Nov. 20.