Shavkat Rakhmonov calls for title shot: ‘UFC thinks I’m the No. 1 contender and that I should be next’

Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Welterweight division has a new sheriff in town.

Belal Muhammad made good on his promises in his Leon Edwards title fight rematch at UFC 304 last month (July 27, 2024). Grinding out “Rocky” over five rounds together, Muhammad won a unanimous decision to kick off the “Remember the Name” era.

However, Shavkat Rakhmonov has other plans. The undefeated 18-0 super contender has been coined a future champion since he entered the Octagon in October 2020. After six wins in UFC, ‘”The Nomad” feels his time is now.

“UFC thinks I’m the No. 1 contender and that I should be next because there’s no clear contender anyway,” Rakhmonov told Submission Radio (h/t MMA Junkie). “I have 100 percent finishes in the UFC, so I actually should be next. Everyone else is also very close, but I think they need one or a couple of wins to get this title shot, so I should be next.”

Former champion, Kamaru Usman, has been the only other name kicked around by Muhammad regarding his first title defense. It hasn’t so much been in terms of him deserving the shot though, as Usman has lost three fights in a row. That never stops some good trash talk. If anything, it enhances it sometimes.

Ultimately, Rakhmonov, 29, expects a tough fight out of the new champion when his time inevitably comes.

“I think it will be a very competitive fight,” Rakhmonov said. “I don’t think about it as an easy fight. It’s going to be a hard fight and whoever forces their own style on their opponent is going to win. Even though it’s not going to be easy, I believe I’m going to win in the end.”