Belal Muhammad winning the welterweight title has blocked teammate Islam Makhachev‘s dream to become a double champion. It’s something that the lightweight champion’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov could never do, and now, it seems like Makhachev might have to play the waiting game. However, there could be one way he might get that double champion title shot after what his AKA coach, Javier Mendez, had to say.

The word on the street is that a potential No.1 contender’s fight is in the making, involving former champion Kamaru Usman and the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, the Kazakh star already believes that he’s the rightful title contender, a view that’s shared by several MMA analysts as well. Since his fight against Usman is just a rumor as of now, there could be a chance that he gets to fight Islam Makhachev’s welterweight champion teammate for the title next.

As a matter of fact, Shavkat Rakhmonov claimed to have been offered to fight Belal Muhammad at UFC 307, which the champion turned down due to the need for recovery time. If this fight happens, and somehow the 18-0 fighter clinches victory, it might open the door for Islam Makhachev to get re-invested in his double-champion dream. And it seems he could be up for it as Javier Mendez claims Makhachev won’t hesitate to fight Rakhmonov. “No, no. There are no problems with fighting Shavkat,” the AKA coach told ‘Ushatayka’. (via YouTube auto-translate)

This is interesting, considering Shavkat also has an old connection to the Nurmagomedov camp. In the early days of ‘Nomad’s fighting career, he had the legendary Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in his corner. But there seems to be no qualms in Khabib’s camp about taking on his father’s former student.

Islam Makhachev holds the key to that decision to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov, but as far as Belal Muhammad is concerned, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protégé will never fight his teammate. “It’s all up to Islam what he wants, but as far as I know… this fight [against Belal] will not happen,” Javier Mendez added while doubling down on the comradery that exists between Makhachev and Muhammad. The lightweight champion himself made that clear after UFC 304.

Islam Makhachev shares a hilarious response to Belal Muhammad’s win, indicating that they won’t ever fight

Islam Makhachev was nothing less than amazed at how Belal Muhammad took down Leon Edwards with his dominating wrestling skills. There were a few moments when ‘Remember the Name’ looked to be in trouble, but was happy to see him cross the finish line. However, Makhachev did not miss the opportunity to jibe at Muhammad for halting his double championship dream.

“Honestly, Belal don’t give him, like, any chance. Smashed him everywhere. He made us nervous [a] little bit,” Islam Makhachev stated during a recent UFC Q&A session. “Now, Belal is a champion, and this guy broke my plans to be double champ (chuckles).” It sure explains that loyalty runs pretty deep in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. Talking on a podcast, Makhachev faced the same question, and he responded he could not fight a guy who was training with him just a few days before the interview.

For now, Islam Makhachev can drop the double champion dream since Arman Tsarukyan is waiting in line for a shot at the lightweight gold. It will be interesting to see how things shape up when this year comes to a close. What are your thoughts on a potential Makhachev vs Rakhmonov fight? Drop your comments below.