Shavkat Rakhmonov says Belal Muhammad turned down UFC 307 fight offer: "He said he's going to be an active champion"
Shavkat Rakhmonov, who many believe is the worthy contender for a shot at Belal Muhammad's welterweight title, recently claimed that the newly-minted turned down a fight with him. According to Rakhmonov, he was offered to fight Muhammad on Oct. 5, which would have made the bout the third title fight scheduled for UFC 307, and he accepted the bout.
Unfortunately, according to 'The Nomad,' Muhammad does not want to make that quick a turnaround after recently claiming the belt at UFC 304 on July 27, 2024. Whether his claim is true remains to be seen, but he made the assertion during a recent sitdown with MMAFighting. He said:
"Yeah, actually I've already been offered to fight Belal [Muhammad], and I accepted the fight against Belal, but unfortunately he declined to fight me due to the timing issues. He wasn't ready to defend his belt on that time. So, we'll see what's going to happen and when he's going to be ready, so I'll be able to fight him."
Rakhmonov also expressed his disappointment over Muhammad's hesitation to make a quick turnaround. Citing Muhammad's promise to be an active champion, and said:
"Before he became a champion and after he won the belt, he said he's going to be an active champion and he will defend his belt more often, but at the moment he wasn't backing up what he said, so let's see what's going to happen when he's ready to fight me."
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov's comments below (5:50):
For now, Muhammad is yet to respond to Rakhmonov's claims. However, the reigning champion is currently embroiled in a social media back-and-forth with ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn't fought yet in 2024
Despite his criticism of Belal Muhammad's apparent unwillingness to fight him in short order, Shavkat Rakhmonov has not fought at all in 2024. However, this may not be 'The Nomad's' fault, as he is believed to be one of the most avoided fighters at 170 pounds.
His most recent fight was at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, 2023, which saw him dominate and submit the great Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson with a rear-naked choke in round two. This took the undefeated Rakhmonov's record to 18-0, with 18 finishes. As things stand, Rakhmonov has certainly done enough to warrant a title shot. That being said, it's unclear in which direction the promotion will go, and who he will end up facing in his next outing.