Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, dropped a huge Welterweight fight announcement last night just as the dust was beginning to settle on UFC 286 in London, England.
The scoop: Top-ranked division contender, Belal Muhammad (No. 4), and surging Kazakh contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov (No. 6), is being worked on for a future event.
It’s been a rough stretch for Muhammad, who got passed over by Colby Covington to serve as UFC 286’s main event back up. Then news broke that Covington is getting the next crack at Edwards’ 170-pound title later this year.
Now, “Remember the Name” has to slay one of the scariest prospects to come along in a very long while.
Dana White reveals Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov is part of his next-fight plans in the UFC welterweight division. #UFC286 | Full video: https://t.co/GhPIdqG29B pic.twitter.com/CawvmRlGQ5
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 19, 2023
Muhammad is riding an impressive nine-fight win streak and is coming off a monster win over the previously-undefeated Sean Brady (watch highlights). Before that, “Remember the Name” avenged his loss to Vicente Luque and defeated Stephen Thompson.
Rakhmonov, meanwhile, is coming off a submission win over Top 10 Welterweight contender, Geoff Neal, at UFC 285 (watch highlights). “Nomad,” 28, is currently undefeated and holds a ridiculous 100 percent finish rate.
For Muhammad, a win over Rakhmonov — who will more than likely be heavily-favored to win — should be enough to earn a title shot … but who knows at this point.
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