Belal Muhammad targets Shavkat Rakhmonov for first title defense despite Kamaru Usman talk: “He has more aura”

UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has his sights set on Shavkat Rakhmonov, not Kamaru Usman.

‘Remember The Name’ has been out of the cage since a trip to Manchester in July. In the main event of UFC 304, Belal Muhammad finally challenged for gold against Leon Edwards. Despite entering the cage as a heavy betting underdog, the challenger wound up earning a unanimous decision victory.

Since Belal Muhammad captured welterweight gold, he’s repeatedly gone back and forth with Kamaru Usman. For his part, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ hasn’t competed since a majority-decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev last October. Despite his losing streak, Usman has continued to call for a title shot.

Meanwhile, Shavkat Rakhmonov has continued to call for a title fight himself. The undefeated welterweight hasn’t competed since a submission victory over Stephen Thompson in December. While Rakhmonov and Belal Muhammad were linked to a clash at UFC 307 in October, the bout failed to come together.

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Belal Muhammad says he wants his first title defense to be against Shavkat Rakhmonov:

“I’d rather have it to be Shavkat. I think he has more aura, I think he has the undefeated-ness to him. There’s no excuse after beating him…

Usman’s on a 3-fight losing streak, he’s old,… pic.twitter.com/3y4CsizOpK

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 25, 2024

Belal Muhammad confirms intent to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in first UFC title defense

Well, it seems that the welterweight champion is fine with that matchup next. Despite Belal Muhammad’s continued back-and-forth with Kamaru Usman, he would rather face Shavkat Rakhmonov. Speaking in a recent interview with Kevin Iole, the welterweight champion stated that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ needs another win before getting a title shot.

“For me now, I would rather it be Shavkat.” Belal Muhammad stated in the interview, when asked about his preferred opponent for his UFC return. “I think he has more aura. He has the undefeated part about him, there’s no excuses after beating him. If I go out there and beat Usman, Usman’s on a three-fight losing streak. He’s old, he’s on his way out, and he needs another win to get in the mix and show that he’s still hungry.”

He continued, “He needs to show that he still has tread on the tires. But I want Shavkat more. You look at the other guys, Ian [Garry] isn’t even calling for it. JDM, I think he’s still hurt. I think it’s going to be between Shavkat and Usman, and between those two, Shavkat makes more sense.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC champion? Would you rather see Belal Muhammad face Shavkat Rakhmonov or Kamaru Usman?