Belal Muhammad Issues Fresh Warning to Shavkat Rakhmonov Following UFC 304 Title Win: ‘Shavkat Is Next’
Belal Muhammad targets Shavkat Rakhmonov for his next fight, aiming to climb higher in the UFC welterweight rankings.
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Belal Muhammad will be fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next. Muhammad is currently on cloud nine after a fabulous display at the UFC 304 main event. Going one-on-one against Leon Edwards, ‘Remember the Name’ entered the octagon as an underdog. Leading up to the title fight, Muhammad and Edwards had a huge altercation with each other’s team in the hotel elevator. Additionally, the fans did not seem too interested in Muhammad and started to boo him inside the arena.
Well, this acted as fuel for Muhammad, who ignited the inner champion in him to put up an MMA masterclass. Muhammad practically looked better than Leon Edwards in all departments at UFC 304. The champion struggled throughout the five rounds and did not dominate even once, barring the last-minute adrenaline rush where he cut open Muhammad’s face. Now that he is the champion, Belal Muhammad seems to have his next opponent in mind.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is rising steadily in the UFC at the moment. Having stepped into the UFC in 2020, Rakhmonov has remained undefeated till now. His latest victory against Stephen Thompson via a rear naked choke established Rakhmonov as a strong contender for the welterweight title. And now, having won the belt from Leon Edwards, Belal Muhammad has provided the opportunity to Rakhmonov, albeit in a threatening manner.
Muhammad recently appeared on the ‘Remember The Show’ podcast and explained his tactics for defeating Shavkat Rakhmonov. He said, “I’m going to go out there and break him, break him. Then they’ll say that about the next guy… By the end of my career, I’m going to be the best welterweight to ever do it. The way to do it, is to walk through these next guys. Shavkat is next…. I’m going to start taking these guy’s zeros. I already took Sean Brady’s 0, Shavkat’s next.”
Well, such a statement coming from Muhammad does not seem far-fetched at all. For example, before their UFC 304 bout, Edwards termed ‘Remember The Name’ as a ‘stepping stone’. This came back to bite him badly as Belal Muhammad replied with a stern statement.
Following his emphatic victory, Belal Muhammad was all set to answer back to Leon Edwards’ ‘stepping stone’ dig. Coming in at the post-event presser, Muhammad claimed to have ‘stepped on’ Leon Edwards instead. He further mentioned that Edwards was indeed ducking a fight with Muhammad for three long years. He also made it clear that he was not someone who can be ‘stepped over’ by anyone. Thus, with a fresh challenge being issued, it remains to be seen for how long Belal Muhammad can extend his title run in the future.
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