UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is pretty sure he’ll be facing the undefeated third-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov in his first title defense. Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) captured the 170-pound championship by defeating Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 main event in Manchester, England back in July. Rakhmonov (18-0) hasn’t fought since last December, defeating Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson via rear-naked choke at UFC 296. Rakhmonov makes the most sense but former champion Kamaru Usman has called Muhammad out repeatedly. Usman has lost his last three fights and Muhammad believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” needs to pick up a win before fighting for the title
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Belal Muhammad expects to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov in first title defense – MMA Weekly