Only one man stands between Shavkat Rakhmonov and the welterweight title- Belal Muhammad. ‘Nomad’ defeated Ian Garry and took his ‘O’ and is now set to face ‘Bully B’, the reigning champ, sometime next year. When exactly? Well, no one knows for sure, not even ‘Remember the Name’. The champ, after all, was originally set to be Rakhmonov’s UFC 310 opponent, but a bone infection forced him out.

The American has told MMA reported extraordinaire Aaron Bronsteter that he isn’t really thinking about a date yet, and will cross that bridge once he is fully healthy. “Just spoke with Belal Muhammad and he’s hyped to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov next. His primary focus is feeling 100% again and then he is happy to discuss a return date. He would prefer not to compete during Ramadan, if possible,” the journalist told fans in a tweet.

Muhammad and Rakhmonov are both Muslims. This is why it is likely that ‘Nomad’ too, wouldn’t want to fight in the holy month of Ramadan, which is between February 28th and March 29th in 2025. After all, practicing Muslims are required to fast for the entire duration of Ramadan, which is grueling for professional fighters as they have to avoid eating from dawn to dusk. But fans cannot wait to watch them fight, and for very good reasons.

Why Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov is such a great matchup

Belal Muhammad would be glad to have twenty-five minutes of tape on Shavkat Rakhmonov. After all, ‘Nomad’ had never gone to the final bell against any of his previous opponents, and Garry must be commended for his remarkable resilience. 

While Rakhmonov won a comfortable unanimous decision in the end, ‘The Future’ did show some good skills, especially on the ground. After all, he almost managed to choke out ‘Nomad’ in the fifth round, but the Kazakh just proved to be too strong. On the other hand, Rakhmonov, too has shown a lot of improvements, especially in his striking at UFC 310.

Now Rakhmonov is in for a bigger challenge. Not only is Muhammad the champ, but also has a world-class wrestling base, which would be much more of a challenge for ‘Nomad’ compared to the almost pure striker Garry. Muhammad has already said that he sees ‘holes’ in Rakhmonov’s game which makes him confident of victory. But the Kazakh, like all great fighters, has the ability to adapt and tailor his style to his opponent. Which is why their upcoming clash is such a mouth-watering one for fans. What are your predictions for a Muhammad-Rakhmonov clash?