Former UFC fighter picks "hardest working man" Belal Muhammad to beat Shavkat Rakhmonov while firing shots at "juiced up" T.J. Dillashaw
Belal Muhammad has faced sharp criticism from several high-profile fighters, including Ilia Topuria and Conor McGregor, ahead of his fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. McGregor fired shots at Muhammad on social media, questioning his achievements and suggesting that he doesn't belong in the UFC’s elite ranks.
McGregor pointed out that Muhammad, despite being the UFC welterweight champion and a top contender for years, has never scored a knockdown in his UFC career. Former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw also echoed similar sentiments on a recent episode of The Jaxxon podcast, reflecting on Muhammad’s stats. While Muhammad hasn’t recorded a knockdown in his recent fights, it’s important to note that his rise to title contention was marked by a dominant TKO victory over Sean Brady at UFC 280.
In response to the criticisms, former UFC bantamweight fighter Saidyokub Kakhramonov defended Muhammad, taking a jab at Dillashaw’s past struggles with performance-enhancing drugs. He took to X and wrote:
"Just [a] bunch of haters sitting behind the mic juiced up and hating. Belal [Muhammad] is the hardest-working man I’ve seen. He will beat Shavkat [Rakmonov]."
Check out Saidyokub Kakhramonov's comments below:
Dillashaw faced a two-year suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2019. As for Muhammad, he won the UFC welterweight championship with a dominant unanimous decision win against Leon Edwards at UFC 304. He hasn't lost a fight since April 2019 and has rattled off ten victories since then.
Michael Chiesa previews upcoming Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov fight
Michael Chiesa recently made a compelling case for welterweight champion Belal Muhammad to get the win against undefeated prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. The fight will serve as the main event for the Dec. 7 pay-per-view card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Chiesa believes that while Rakhmonov is viewed as the “boogeyman” of the division, Muhammad’s formidable resume deserves recognition. He also highlighted that Muhammad has faced elite opponents such as Demian Maia, Stephen Thompson, Vicente Luque, and Gilbert Burns.
Speaking about the fight in an interview with ESPN MMA, Chiesa said:
"People want to dismiss Belal Muhammad because of who he is fighting. You just look at that strength of schedule and you’ve got to remind yourself [that] this guy is the champion for a reason, and I would not be surprised if he took Shavkat’s 0. Belal has proven time and time again why he deserved the championship fight, he got the championship fight, and he deserves to be the champion now."
Check out Michael Chiesa's comments below: