UFC fighter Belal Muhammad shares a surprising name as his last test before welterweight title shot opportunity

Belal Muhammad opened up about his quest for a welterweight title shot and revealed an unexpected name as his last test before he finally earns a title shot.

In a recent interview with Jesse ON FIRE, Muhammad addressed what could be next for him and his views on Colby Covington earning the next title shot despite being inactive for over a year. He mentioned that Kamaru Usman could be his next opponent and why a bout between the two is logical.

He said:

"I think that Kamaru [Usman] as champion, he beat Colby [Covington] twice. I think that fight makes all the sense in the world. He was a guy that people considered the GOAT from the welterweight division. I go out there strartch him, beat him dominantly, there's no denying me after that."[18:25 - 18:41]

'Remember The Name' added that he believes 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was capable of defeating 'Rocky' in their recent trilogy bout. He mentioned that fighting Usman on the same event as Leon Edwards vs. Covington would be ideal, saying:

"That's what I would hope for because I don't think he really took any damage in that Leon [Edwards] fight, nothing but leg kicks and body kicks. And if Leon is making that quick turnaround in July, I don't see why Usman can't." [25:10 - 25:21]

It remains to be seen whether the UFC plans on booking both welterweight bouts on the same event or if there is another opponent they have in mind for Muhammad should Usman require more time to recover from his loss to Edwards.

Check out the full interview:

Could Belal Muhammad fight Shavkat Rakhmonov next?

🚨| Dana White announces that the UFC are working on Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov next.
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Belal Muhammad made it clear that he wants fight somebody that ensures he doesn't get overlooked when it comes time for the promotion to book the next welterweight title fight.

During the affromentioned interview, 'Remember The Name' noted that he recently met with Dana White and that they spoke about different options at 170lbs. He mentioned that the meeting went well and opened up about what he believes a win over Rakhmonov wouldn't be beneficial to him like a win over Kamaru Usman would, saying:

"We got more tape on him [Shavkat Rakhmonov]. But for me, it's kinda like in the same scenario where I was with Sean Brady. It's like, you're gonna give me a guy that's 15-0, guy that everybody thought could be the champion...and then it put me sideways." [21:12 - 21:28]

It seems as though Muhammad is more interested in fighting Usman rather than another up-and-coming welterweight with a lot of hype surrounding him.