Shavkat Rakhmonov says Kamaru Usman asking for title shot is "kind of a shame" after three straight losses: "I cannot get my head around it"
Shavkat Rakhmonov recently took a dig at Kamaru Usman for asking for a welterweight title shot despite losing three fights in a row. Rakhmonov believes no one in the division is more deserving of a championship opportunity than him.
Belal Muhammad currently holds the 170-pound strap, which he won by beating Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Muhammad has since been going back-and-forth with Usman on social media as the latter campaigns for a title shot. While 'The Nigerian Nightmare' still holds the No.2 spot in the division and is a former pound-for-pound king, No.3-ranked welterweight Rakhmonov believes himself to be more worthy of a shot at gold.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Rakhmonov slammed the idea of the former champion fighting Muhammad next. The unbeaten Kazakh emphasized that Usman is 0-3 in his last three outings, twice losing to Leon Edwards before getting outpointed by Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 last year.
''I don't know what he [Usman] is thinking about, I think it's kind of a shame ask for a title shot after losing three fights straight, like in my head I cannot get my head around it.''
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov's comments below (via Championship Rounds on X):
Prior to this, Rakhmonov took to X and made a compelling argument for himself in the title race, writing:
''18-0 with 100% finishes or 0-3 in the last three fights. I think there should be no question who fights next for the title''
Shavkat Rakhmonov issues strong warning to Belal Muhammad
Shavkat Rakhmonov is eager to challenge Belal Muhammad for the belt. He is currently on a six-fight win streak in the UFC, with his most recent victory coming at UFC 296 over Stephen Thompson via second-round submission. Notably, he boasts a 100% finish rate, with eight knockouts and ten submissions.
In the same interview, after taking a dig at former champion Kamaru Usman, Rakhmonov issued a stern warning to Muhammad, saying (0:24):
"All I can say to Belal is to get ready. You know, there's nowhere to run. This fight has to happen next and the cage will close and we will see who is the better man. That's it."