For Belal Muhammad, capturing the welterweight title was the culmination of a brutal grind to the top. He started a winning streak in 2019 that ended with him ripping away the belt from Leon Edwards in a re-match at UFC 304. Now, Muhammad’s hard-earned title has placed him in the crosshairs of every hungry contender in his division.

But the biggest threat to his reign might come from someone much closer to home, Islam Makhachev. The two champions are long-time training partners under the Team Khabib banner. Yet, the reigning UFC lightweight king has made no secret of his ambitions. He wants to claim gold in a second weight class before his career is over. So, what did ‘The Eagle’ tell Muhammad once he had the belt wrapped around his waist?

Belal Muhammad warned by Khabib Nurmagomedov about the “bullseye” on his back as a champion  

During a recent interview with ‘Barstool Chicago’ shared on YouTube, Belal Muhammad pulled back the curtain on what the practice room looks like under Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s watchful eye. He confessed, “There’s not a light round in that gym, and Khabib, he’s still training, he’s still going hard. He’s still like smashing me no matter what, so it’s always good. Because you level up when you go with them guys. It humbles you, right? I’m the champion now, they don’t care if you’re the champion…”

The mindset is simple: no one is above the grind. The welterweight champion further shared, “We’re all in the same group, we’re all lining up and we’re all listening to Khabib, whatever he says.”

That structure and that discipline may be the reason behind what has made Dagestani fighters nearly unstoppable. But winning the title is one thing. Staying at the top? That’s a different beast. And ‘The Eagle’, a man who embodied dominance during his reign, wasted no time reminding Muhammad of what comes next.

According to Muhammad, “Like Khabib told me, after the fight, was like, now you got to train twice as hard because now the bullseye is on your back. Everybody’s only looking at you and they’re trying to find your weaknesses, so you have to keep working and keep evolving”

That ‘bullseye’ is something Islam Makhachev could be aiming at. While the two have made it clear that fighting each other isn’t an option, the question of legacy still remains.

Speaking to streamer Adin Ross ahead of UFC 311, Makhachev had shared, “But we have Belal there and he defends his belt soon, but me and Belal have same manager, Ali [Abdelaziz]. We’ll sit and talk. This is my dream to be double champion. I don’t want to leave the sport before I take second belt.”

So what happens next? Does Belal Muhammad remain focused on his next title defense, knowing Makhachev may eventually come knocking? Or does Makhachev wait, hoping the belt changes hands? Well, according to AKA head coach, Javier Mendez, there’s another solution!

Javier Mendez breaks down the perfect “math” for Muhammad and Islam Makhachev’s ‘double champ’ dreams  

While Islam Makhachev’s welterweight ambitions remain swirling in the MMA sphere, AKA head coach Javier Mendez sees a clear path forward. Possibly one that doesn’t involve friends fighting friends!

After watching Dricus Du Plessis dismantle Sean Strickland at UFC 312, Muhammad took to X with a bold claim. He stated, “I can be double champ pretty easily.” A throwaway comment? Or a declaration of intent?

Well, recently on the ‘Javier Mendez Podcast’, the host Len brought up the cryptic post and Mendez didn’t hesitate at all. According to him, “Well that’s if Belal is interested in going to 185 that would be superb. […] Well, I think the math works like this. The UFC, ‘We are going to put you against Dricus [Du Plessis]’. Islam says, ‘Can you give me the welterweight title shot against Shavkat [Rakhmonov]”

That’s a win-win scenario. Belal Muhammad gets his shot at history, and Makhachev gets his long-coveted second belt. However, Mendez did acknowledge, “Because otherwise, I mean, for Islam to go 185, he’d have to put on some muscle and he’s strong enough, but I just don’t know about the weight.”

There’s no doubt that Islam Makhachev is dominant at 155 lbs. But size does matter when it comes to taking on elite champions. Moving up to welterweight would be a challenge, and a leap to middleweight could be even riskier!

For now, both men stand at a crossroads, their futures intertwined. Will they rewrite history together, each claiming a second belt of their own? Or will fate force them to make an impossible choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!