As UFC 310 approaches, newly crowned welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is set to face off against one of the most feared fighters in the division, Shavkat Rakhmonov. With Rakhmonov’s undefeated record and reputation as the division’s “boogeyman,” this matchup has fans on the edge of their seats.
Ahead of the bout, a UFC veteran and former champion has offered key advice for Muhammad, emphasizing what he must keep in mind before stepping into the octagon with Rakhmonov.
The veteran in question here is former middleweight champion Michael Bisping. ‘The Count’ released a video on his YouTube channel going over the latest fights announced by the UFC and his thoughts on the same.
The 45-year-old shared his thoughts on the title fight between Belal and Shavkat and a key issue ‘Remember the name’ needs to be kept in mind ahead of the fight. He said,
“This is a step up in competition for Shavkat Rakhmonov because he has finished everyone. But against Geoff Neal, Geoff Neal was pushing him to the limit. They were having a very competitive fight. That is something that if I am Belal Muhammad, you gotta be aware of. The man never stops. He never stops adapting, he will find a way. He finds a way. It is not a surprise of by coincidence that he has finished all of his opponents.”
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Bisping pointed out to the Geoff Neal fight saying that they had an extremely close and competitive fight until Rakhmonov secured a submission in the third round.
He believes that Shavkat has a finishing threat at any given point in the fight and therefore, Belal needs to be more vigilant. Regardless, Belal stayed true to his word and picked the toughest fight he possibly could for his first title defense.
Rakhmonov has more aura claims Muhammad
Muhammad has locked in his opponent for his first title defense, and it’s none other than the undefeated Rakhmonov. While the former had been going back and forth with former champ Kamaru Usman, he admits that fighting Rakhmonov makes more sense for his career at this point.
“For me, Shavkat is the better fight,” Muhammad told Kevin Iole. “He’s undefeated, there’s no excuses if I beat him. Usman’s on a three-fight losing streak, he’s getting older, and I think he needs another win to get back in the mix.”
Muhammad, who has always aimed for gold, now has his sights set on building a legacy that puts him among the greats like Georges St-Pierre. He knows he’ll need title defenses to do that, and he’s ready to take on rising contenders.
