Belal Muhammad makes daring declare after Shavkat Rakhmonov win

Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is much more assured after watching Shavkat Rakhmonov combat at UFC 310.

Muhammad was entrance row for Saturday’s co-main occasion at T-Cellular Enviornment between Shavkat Rakhmonov (16-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Ian Machado Garry (15-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). Rakhmonov survived a late surge from Machado Garry to win a five-round unanimous resolution.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was assured that he’d beat both fighter earlier than the combat happened. After Rakhmonov failed to complete for the primary time in his profession, he likes his probabilities much more.

“The one factor I noticed is that I win. No matter when it’s, that’s the way it’s going to be,” Muhammad advised ESPN. “I knew that I used to be going to have the ability to beat each of them, whoever got here out on high. However after watching it, getting one other 5 rounds of seeing it, now I do know it’s going to be a combat for me that I’m going to stroll by means of.”

Muhammad confirmed off his grappling and putting to dethrone Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. He sees himself having the benefit over Rakhmonov wherever the combat goes.

“I believe I’m a greater striker. I believe I’m higher in all places,” Muhammad mentioned. “Folks will sit there and name me a grappler, however within the Leon combat, I out-struck him. He was speculated to be the most effective striker within the division, after which I walked him down and broke him on the ft and on the bottom. I had 100 extra strikes than him.

“So individuals may say what they wish to say, however I believe I’m the most effective striker within the division and, the best way that I combat, it’s completely different than the remainder of these guys. It’s exhausting for these guys to catch reads on me and determine me out till you see me in entrance of you, after which while you see me in entrance of you, it’s already too late as a result of I’m hitting you.”

Muhammad was stunned with the dearth of exercise throughout Rakhmonov and Machado Garry’s clinches. He vows to make Rakhmonov work in the event that they get caught in these positions.

“I wouldn’t have given him these occasions to relaxation, proper?” Muhammad mentioned. “There’s occasions when he’s resting on the cage, holding him (Garry), they’re holding over-under. You’re getting the ref having to let you know to work, work, work. There gained’t be that second with me. I’m going to be the one with the foot on the fuel.

“I’m going to be the one pushing him on the fence, taking him down, letting him again up, taking him down, letting him again up. In case you’ve by no means felt that earlier than, you’re going to be drowning. It’s going to really feel like there’s nowhere to go. It’s going to really feel such as you’re in quicksand. And the identical approach Leon felt it, and he broke, it’s going to be the identical factor with Shavkat.”