Despite continually staking his claim for a title fight with welterweight gold holder, Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December, unbeaten divisional challenger, Shavkat Rakhmonov has now claimed the defending titleholder is not even “ready” to compete before the end of the year.
Rakhmonov, the current number three ranked divisional contender, most recently improved to 18-0 as a professional — landing his eighteenth professional career win back in December of last year at UFC 296, submitting former title chaser, Stephen Thompson with a rear-naked choke submission win.
For Muhammad, the Illinois native most recently scooped the undisputed welterweight title back in July at UFC 304, taking home a dominant unanimous decision win over Leon Edwards in the pair’s title rematch fight in Manchester, England.
And earlier this week, Uzbekistan native, Rakhmonov staked his claim for a fight with Muhammad ahead of former gold holder, Kamaru Usman — warning the champion that he is on a fast route to the crown.
“I don’t know what he (Kamaru Usman) is thinking about,” Shavkat Rakhmonov told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “It’s a shame to ask for a title shot after losing three fights straight. Like, in my head — I can’t get my head around it. But, it is what it is.”
All I can say to Belal (Muhammad), is to get ready,” Shavkat Rakhmonov explained. “There’s nowhere to run. This fight has to happen next. The cage door will close, and then we’ll see who’s the better man.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov claims Belal Muhammad fight unlikely for UFC 310
However, on social media, the former M-1 Global champion claimed a fight with Muhammad was now unlikely to take place before the end of the year — claiming the new titleholder is now unable to compete at UFC 310.
“After all the (sic) talk about being an active champion, truth is Belal (Muhammad) isn’t even ready to defend his title this year, ” Shavkat Rakhmonov posted on his official X account overnight.