Belal Muhammad hints Shavkat Rakhmonov title fight announcement is imminent: “See you soon, boy”
UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is potentially weeks away from his first title defense against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Muhammad earned the UFC welterweight title by defeating Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 304 in July. He’s on an 11-fight unbeaten streak, following a loss to Geoff Neal in 2019.
Muhammad, after defeating Edwards, has achieved a new confidence level since earning the belt. He’s verbally bashed some of the welterweight division’s top contenders, including former titleholder Kamaru Usman.
Since the Edwards win, Muhammad’s desired timeline for his first title defense has been uncertain. But, he cracked open that door in a recent social media post, targeting a clash with the undefeated Rakhmonov.
Belal Muhammad to Shavkat Rakhmonov: See you soon!
In a recent Instagram post, Muhammad made a pair of public service announcements.
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“A couple of public service announcements. The pound-for-pound podcast sucks,” Muhammad began. “Like I said, I was on there, [Kamaru] Usman was terrible at talking, terrible at fighting. Got embarrassed a bit on both ends. Speaking and fighting. Sorry [Henry] Cejudo, I do like you though. Shavkat, see you soon boy!”
As of this writing, Rakhmonov hasn’t responded to Muhammad’s comments. However, Rakhmonov recently announced that he’s preparing in camp for his next fight, presumably for Muhammad’s belt.
Rakhmonov hasn’t fought since a submission victory against Stephen Thompson at UFC 296. He is unbeaten through his first 18 professional fights, including UFC wins against the likes of Neil Magny and Neal.
Before defeating Edwards, Muhammad earned dominant wins against the likes of Gilbert Burns, Vicente Luque, and Thompson. As of this writing, he’s listed as the No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter, according to the UFC’s official rankings.
UFC 310 remains without a main event announced, leaving the door open to Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov. According to Muhammad, it won’t be long until we receive answers.
