Overview
- Muhammad, in interviews published Wednesday, called Usman "chicken" and said their mutual manager Ali Abdelaziz is protecting the former champion.
- Muhammad is booked to face Gabriel Bonfim in the UFC Fight Night 278 headliner on June 6 at the Apex in Las Vegas.
- He said the UFC floated Usman or Bonfim as options and he assumed Bonfim was next because he did not expect Usman to accept the fight.
- Muhammad enters the bout on a two-fight skid after losing the welterweight title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 and then falling to Ian Machado Garry.
- Muhammad framed Usman, 38, as a declining contender who may look to middleweight, even naming Dricus Du Plessis as a favorable style matchup, underscoring how shared management can influence which fights get made.