Belal Muhammad expects to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov in first title defense

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is pretty sure he’ll be facing the undefeated third-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov in his first title defense.  

Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) captured the 170-pound championship by defeating Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 main event in Manchester, England back in July.  Rakhmonov (18-0) hasn’t fought since last December, defeating Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson via rear-naked choke at UFC 296.

Rakhmonov makes the most sense but former champion Kamaru Usman has called Muhammad out repeatedly.  Usman has lost his last three fights and Muhammad believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” needs to pick up a win before fighting for the title.  

“For me now, I would rather it be Shavkat.” Belal Muhammad said in an interview with Kevin Iole. “I think he has more aura. He has the undefeated part about him.  There’s no excuses after beating him. If I go out there and beat Usman, Usman’s on a three-fight losing streak. He’s old, he’s on his way out, and he needs another win to get in the mix and show that he’s still hungry.”

“He needs to show that he still has tread on the tires,” Muhammad continued. “But I want Shavkat more. You look at the other guys, Ian [Garry] isn’t even calling for it. JDM (Jack Della Maddalena), I think he’s still hurt. I think it’s going to be between Shavkat and Usman, and between those two, Shavkat makes more sense.”