Belal Muhammad’s first UFC welterweight title defence against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov likely in 2024, per division insider
Belal Muhammad outlined his vision to make the welterweight division great again after capturing the throne from Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Adhering to that framework, the first UFC champion of Palestinian background already has his next assignment charted according to a top-ranked contender in the division.
Former 170-pound title challenger Gilbert Burns claimed during an interaction with Michael Bisping on the Believe You Me podcast that undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov will challenge Muhammad for the title next. According to Burns:
"The way the division sits right now I think Shavkat might be next, I heard a little conversation maybe by December. But yeah, Shavkat might be the front-runner to fight for the title."
Catch Burns' comments below:
Rarely does a fighter's record reflect their true caliber without self-promotion. However, Rakhmonov's record stands out with distinction, having won 18 professional fights, all by finishes. He has rattled off six victories in the UFC, with triumphs over notable names like Stephen Thompson Goeff Neal.
The Kazakh standout called out Muhammad immediately after his win over Edwards and doubled down on the challenge by flaunting his unblemished record recently on social media. As for Muhammad, the 36-year-old has filtered out two names in particular for his first title defense — Rakhmonov and former 170-pound king Kamaru Usman.
That being said, there haven't been any official confirmations of a concrete date for the fight. Muhammad recently asserted that he's on board with the idea of fighting on the December pay-per-view, claiming that he will "be in camp helping" anyway to help Ignacio Bahamondes prepare for his fight against Manuel Torres at Riyadh Season Noche UFC (UFC 306).
Belal Muhammad's boxing coach confirms a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov next
Belal Muhammad silenced his detractors and fulfilled his ambition of becoming a UFC champion with a dominant unanimous decision win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304. 'Remember the Name' is now gearing up to take on a fresh challenge and undefeated sensation Shavkat Rakhmonov has emerged as a frontrunner.
While all parties involved seem to favor the idea of the matchup, UFC matchmakers or CEO Dana White haven't commented on it yet. Most recently, Belal Muhammad's boxing coach, Horacio Gutierrez, claimed in an interview with Inside Fighting that the UFC welterweight champion will face Rakhmonov next:
"The next one they're going to give us is probably going to be Shavkat. I think they're [UFC] going to give us that because he's undefeated and he has all finishes and stuff like that. So let's do it, let's go against him."
Check out Muhammad's boxing coach's comments below: