There are a plethora of options at welterweight for champion Belal Muhammad at the moment but he seems to have two big targets on his mind for his first title defense. Belal plans to legitimize himself as a champion especially as his predecessors, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards have been accused of holding up the division by playing ‘touch b*tt’ with Colby Covington for years.
‘Remember the Name’ in a conversation with TMZ Sports shared his thoughts on the welterweight landscape at the moment and what might be next for him.
Belal wants to fight towards the end of the year and wants to take on either top ranked Shavkat Rakhmoniv or former WW champion, Kamar Usman, who he has been going back and forth with on Twitter.
Calling Rakhmonov the boogeyman of the division, the 36-yeat-old said,
“I mean when I look at the division obviously the guy that is the highest ranked is Shavkat (Rakhmonov). He is the boogeyman of the division.
But since Dana White has often claimed that Usman was better than the legendary Georges St-Pierre, and GSP is the one Belal wants to surpass, he believes a fight against Usman could also be on the cards.
“There is Usman right there as well. I know he is on a losing streak, but legacy wise, he is the guy that Dana White said is better than all the other champions. Dana White said he is better than GSP. There is not a clear number one contender when you look at it.”
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Ultimately, Belal’s goal is to be an active champion and make sure that the division is never held up. He plans on emulating the likes of Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski in their activity levels as a champion and welcomes anyone that the UFC will place in the octagon with him.
Which fight makes the most sense for Belal?
Although Rakhmonov is the highest ranked fighter, his most recent win was against against an ageing ‘Wonderboy’ Stephen Thompson.
Belal, on the other hand had to beat Thompson and then win four more fights before he could get a title shot. Therefore, he is not completely sold on Rakhmonov.
Then there is the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’. Despite an impressive resume, Usman is currently on a three-fight skid and there is no way the UFC will give him a title shot right away, despite all the online call outs and social media beefs he’s been having with the champion.
Therefore, all signs point towards a first title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov for Belal. When and where that takes place remains to be seen.
