There have been a lot of rumors surrounding who will Belal Muhammad face in his next UFC fight. As per recent reports, Shavkat Rakhmonov is the frontrunner to be Remember the Name’s next opponent after his recent win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285.
However, it seems that Belal Muhammad is against the idea of facing Rakhmonov in his next fight as the Kazakh welterweight is ranked below him. Besides, the Palestinian welterweight had earlier expressed his desire to fight for the title against Leon Edwards and has reiterated his interest in facing top contenders in an interview with MMA Fighting.
While having a conversation with Damon Martin of MMA Fighting, Belal Muhammad said,
“For me, now, I’m only looking upwards. The only guys upwards are Colby, Leon, and Kamaru. Kamaru didn’t take no damage in this fight and he’s still fighting, he’s still talking about fighting. I think that’s a fight that makes sense.”
“The only thing I don’t have on my resume is that name everybody recognizes, everybody knows, and that was a former champion. A guy that people consider one of the best welterweights to do it. If that’s the name that is going to get me a shot – if it’s going to be somebody, it’s going to be either Usman, Colby, or Leon. It’s only fighting upwards from here. I think that’s the only way I’m going to be guaranteed anything.”
Belal Muhammad also stated in the interview that he is willing to fight Colby Covington if The Nigerian Nightmare is not available. But the chances of Remember the Name taking on Colby Covington look slim as UFC President Dana White and the matchmakers want to book Chaos against welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
Belal Muhammad expresses his disappointment over the rumors of fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov
Belal Muhammad who is currently ranked fourth in the welterweight division is on a terrific eight-fight winning streak and is coming off a brilliant win over Sean Brady in his last bout. Despite being on a spectacular run, Remember the Name is not in contention for a title shot next.
The Palestinian fighter is rumored to take on undefeated welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov who submitted Geoff Neal in his last matchup. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Belal shared his opinion on the rumors of squaring off against the undefeated Kazakh welterweight and downplayed his rival.
“I was like, what? Where did this come from? I’m calling my manager like, what’s going on? He’s like, ‘Brother, I don’t know what’s going on.’ I’m never a guy that shies away from the tough fights. I’ve been calling for the toughest fights forever and he’s obviously on a good run, a streak, but I just beat the hot prospect. I just beat the guy that was 15-0. He’s a dangerous fighter, but to me it’s still fighting backwards.”
It is needless to say that a fight between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov will be very exciting to watch as both the contenders are on a hot winning streak. A win over Nomad certainly solidifies the case of Belal getting a title shot.
However, the promotion has not confirmed this matchup and we will have to wait longer to see who Belal Muhammad ends up fighting next. Do let us know in the comments section below your thoughts about a matchup between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
