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#1 Welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov doesn’t particularly like champion Belal Muhammad feeling “greedy” for wanting to fight for an interim title in the latter’s absence.
Belal was scheduled to fight Rakhmonov in December this year for his first title defense at UFC 310. However, the champion was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering a bone infection that will keep him out of action for more than a month, perhaps longer. That’s why Rakhmonov came up with the idea of an interim title fight, because he doesn’t want to wait any longer.
However, ‘Remember the Name’ doesn’t want him to fight as he claims he will only be out for six weeks and the two can get back at it once he returns.
Naturally, Rakhmonov thinks Belal is full of it because he is greedy and into a interview with Ariel Helwanitold the champion to cool it because if he wins the interim title they could get a bigger payday.
‘Belal doesn’t have to be greedy. If I become interim champion, he will still get a belt. And it will be champion against champion, an even bigger fight.”
There is a lot of logic in what Rakhmonov says. But from the champion’s perspective, an injury to the Russian in his next fight could mean the champion has to wait until he recovers. Or maybe someone else will become interim champion.
He may need another camp to prepare for a new fighter, and that’s if he’s lucky.
And since that man could be welterweight legend Kamaru Usman, Belal understandably doesn’t want to take that risk.
Rakhmonov targets Usman at UFC 310
Rakhmonov wants to fight the best in the division. And it doesn’t get better than the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’.
“I am prepared to keep the card when it comes to the interim band. I believe Usman is a worthy opponent who will probably be ready to face me as well.”
Usman might have suffered three straight losses, but at least two of those fights were super close encounters. He dominated the first fight with Leon Edwards before taking a stray kick to the head. And while the second loss to the Brit may have been a bit weak, he bounced back and fought middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev on short notice, losing only via judges’ scorecard.
The general consensus remained that if the fight went five rounds, as Usman was accustomed to, the Chechen fighter might have suffered his first UFC loss.
So an interim title fight between the former champion and Rakhmonov, the man touted as a future champion, would be top film at UFC 31o. And when Belal comes back, he can always take his place at the top of the mountain.