Belal Muhammad promised to be a preventing champion, and now he’s conserving an in depth eye on all of the potential contenders within the welterweight division.
After dispatching Leon Edwards to turn out to be champion at UFC 304, Muhammad instantly acknowledged fighters like Shavkat Rakhmonov as seemingly challengers to his title, though he admits that nobody has been clearly outlined because the No. 1 contender within the division. For as soon as in his profession, Muhammad not has to name anyone out, as a result of with the UFC title round his waist, he goes from being the hunter to the hunted.
That being stated, Muhammad fortunately reductions one acquainted identify who received’t make his record as a viable opponent — failed three-time UFC title challenger Colby Covington, who started chirping nearly instantly after Muhammad received the belt in Manchester.
“It’s humorous. He’s actually the most important clown within the UFC,” Muhammad informed MMA Combating. “It’s embarrassing to see how he’s attempting to know for any type of consideration and say something. ‘Let me catch him outdoors.’ Bro, I want I see you outdoors. Let’s see what you’d do. I actually known as him out since 2017 once I fought in Australia. This man’s a coward.
“However that’s what he does. He shied away from that Ian Garry struggle. He stated it wasn’t value his time. If he would have received that struggle, his identify might have been proper again within the combine. So now he appears to be like dumb. He’s a clown. I’m questioning what he’s going to do subsequent. There’s no one on the market that I see him saying sure to. He’s going to attend and hope that Tony Ferguson comes again and fights another struggle after which he’s going to win that and say, ‘See I should be in there, look what I simply did to Tony Ferguson!’”
With a 2-3 report in his previous 5 fights — and all three losses coming in title bouts — it’s powerful to think about Covington sliding again into one other title shot with out first incomes a number of related wins. Covington’s most up-to-date victory over a fighter on the present UFC roster got here all the way in which again in 2018, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos to win the interim belt.
Covington’s newest struggle led to disappointment after he dropped a tepid five-round choice to Edwards this previous December. He hasn’t booked one other matchup since.
Muhammad doesn’t even need to give oxygen to inflammatory trash discuss that isn’t going to get Covington one other probability to compete for UFC gold.
“There’s zero % probability,” Muhammad stated of Covington getting one other title shot. “I stated he sucked earlier than the Leon Edwards struggle they usually gifted him the title shot. There’s no one within the high 5 that he might beat. There’s no one in there the place I might see him and say, ‘Properly, if he beats him, there’s an opportunity.’
“I don’t see him accepting any top-five fights and I undoubtedly don’t see him beating any high fighters if he will get that probability.”
With Covington eradicated, Muhammad gave his ideas on the contenders he considers legit within the welterweight division, starting with Rakhmonov, who’s undefeated with an 18-0 report and an ideal ending fee in these 18 fights.
“He’s the boogeyman,” Muhammad stated of Rakhmonov. “The man that everybody thinks will dominate all people. Once I have a look at stylistically what I’ll be capable of do to him and what I’ve seen, there’s nothing he reveals me the place I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’ve received to be afraid of this or that.’ He’s not a specialist anyplace. Clearly, he’s a specialist in ending, however I’ve solely been completed as soon as in my life.”
Whereas he has no downside accepting a struggle in opposition to Rakhmonov if that’s what UFC desires, Muhammad would like to see Rakhmonov get one other high quality win on his report simply to cement his spot because the No. 1 contender.
As spectacular as Rakhmonov has been by means of his first six UFC fights, he hasn’t overwhelmed a top-five ranked opponent but.
“Even for myself, whenever you have a look at all of the names I needed to undergo [to get a title shot],” Muhammad stated. “Even after beating ‘Wonderboy,’ I nonetheless needed to win 4 extra fights to get there and I needed to take a short-notice struggle in opposition to Gilbert Burns. Alright, you’re simply going to provide it to him after [winning] the ‘Wonderboy’ struggle? If him and [Kamaru] Usman fought, the winner would for positive deserve it.
“However when Leon received the title, there was a transparent No. 1 contender. I used to be the clear No. 1 contender they usually nonetheless gave it to Colby. However once I received the title, there’s not that clear No. 1 contender. Clearly, Shavkat makes probably the most sense simply because he’s undefeated, however once I have a look at the résumé, he didn’t must undergo what I needed to undergo to get it. But it surely’s all as much as the UFC now.”
Ideally, Muhammad would ultimately like so as to add Kamaru Usman to his résumé as properly, as a result of Usman was the champion Muhammad was chasing when he began his lengthy UFC successful streak. He by no means received that probability as a result of Usman ultimately misplaced the belt to Edwards, however Muhammad acknowledges that’s nonetheless an enormous win he desires on his report.
“For me, that was the man I used to be chasing for thus lengthy,” Muhammad stated. “He was the champion up there and folks have been saying that he was the GOAT. He had that second of Dana White saying he was the perfect welterweight to ever do it.
“For Leon to take that away from me after which me to go on the market and dominate Leon, to do what Usman couldn’t do, after which Usman to say I stole his blueprint — for me, to have him on my résumé could be large. For legacy and simply to indicate the world, to indicate Dana White, what I’d have performed if I received that chance once I ought to have. I feel legacy-wise, Usman has the most important identify for positive, however on three losses, it’s exhausting to provide him the title shot.”
Whether or not it’s Rakhmonov, Usman, or another person, Muhammad doesn’t actually care who UFC throws at him for his first title protection. Muhammad additionally acknowledged fighters like Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena as contenders on the rise, probably solely a struggle or two from a title shot as properly.
“Truthfully, [Garry] is aware of the way to win,” Muhammad stated. “He figures it out. I feel that’s an enormous high quality to have, so that you can simply perceive the way to win and struggle a sure approach for each fighter. Him and Leon would truthfully be an important struggle subsequent. I really feel like that makes lots of sense. Stylistically, it could find yourself being a very good struggle.
“[Della Maddalena is] undoubtedly a troublesome matchup stylistically for any of these different guys within the division. However for myself, I see a path to beating him fairly simply. However I’m hoping that harm will get cleared up quickly and we get to see him struggle someone.”
Proper now, Muhammad targets a late 2024 or early 2025 return to motion, after which Muhammad simply desires UFC to start out lining up challenges so he can knock them down.
“There’s not a man within the division the place I have a look at like, ‘Man, that’s a troublesome struggle,’ or, ‘That is going to be troublesome struggle, let me draw back from this man.’” Muhammad stated. “There’s no one that I draw back from.”
