Newly crowned UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad started playing matchmaker for the contender to his title after UFC 304. He proposed a number one contender’s bout between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman, which was met with backlashes from fans and MMA pundits alike. But guess what? Muhammad may get his wish granted by Dana White.

Shavkat Rakhmonov, who called out Belal Muhammad for the title shot, had already claimed about getting a title shot offered to him immediately after UFC 304. But it fell through due to the champion claiming to need recovery time. He may have hoped that maybe he would get his title shot shortly without any obstacle, but recent reports state that he might have to take another fight before getting his hands on Muhammad.

Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Kamaru Usman is in the works to determine Belal Muhammad’s title challenger

It seems like Dana White likes the idea of a number-one contender’s match between the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman, with reports claiming that both welterweights have received offers to fight each other. The current status of the offer has ‘Nomad’ accepting the fight, but ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is yet to issue a response.

Despite analysts like Michael Bisping siding with the fact that Shavkat Rakhmonov is the clear number one contender to Belal Muhammad’s welterweight title, the UFC seems adamant about giving Kamaru Usman a chance, given that he had expressed his urge to fight for the title once again a few weeks ago. Moreover, he’s helped the UFC CEO at a time when the 55-year-old needed someone to fill in for UFC 294 on short notice. So there’s no reason why Dana White won’t consider giving him a title, just like he did for Colby Covington at UFC 296.

Shavkat Rakhmonov had already blasted Kamaru Usman for asking for a title shot even when his last three fights went down in the mud. In the meantime, Belal Muhammad recently revealed that he believes the former welterweight champion will give him a much tougher challenge, but why does he think that? Well, let’s find it for ourselves.

Usman is a tougher challenge than Rakhmonov, claims ‘Remember the Name’

While the report of this matchup between the Kazakh star and the former champion is just a rumor, Belal Muhammad has already given his take about which contender will give him the toughest fight, and surprisingly, he picked Kamaru Usman. It’s surprising because Kamaru Usman hasn’t found his footing since 2022, which is the total opposite of Shavkat Rakhmonov, who’s on an undrafted streak with a mind-boggling 100 percent finish rate. However, the level of fighters that Usman has competed against is much higher than Rakhmonov.

“Honestly, I would say Kamaru just because he’s fought the highest level for so long. And stylistically, he has one of the best IQs in the game. So I think, for me, fighting somebody with close to an IQ of myself would be a harder fight,’ Belal Muhammad told ‘Submission Radio’. ‘Remember the Name’ may not be wrong with his pick because Kamaru Usman’s resume speaks volumes, being a former champion and all.

What do you think about the Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Kamaru Usman fight rumors? Drop your comments below.