Belal Muhammad open for Shavkat Rakhmonov as first UFC title defense: 'I've never backed down from anybody'

MANCHESTER, England – Belal Muhammad will fight Shavkat Rakhmonov and any No. 1 contender after UFC 304.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) dethroned Leon Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) to become welterweight champion in Saturday’s main event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Muhammad was immediately called out by Rakhamonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), and the new champion welcomes the challenge.

“Congratulations on your well-deserved victory, @bullyb170! I hope you keep your word and defend your title against me when you’re ready, champ.”

Congratulations on your well-deserved victory, @bullyb170! I hope you keep your word and defend your title against me when you’re ready, champ

— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) July 28, 2024

“Yeah, of course,” Muhammad said on fighting Rakhmonov at the UFC 304 post-fight news conference. “I’ve literally never turned down a fight. I’ve never backed down from anybody. I had so many people turn down fights against me so, now I’m at the top. I’m the man and for me, now it’s cementing my legacy as the best welterweight to ever do it.

“I’m not going to sit there and call out these random guys. Who’s next in line, who’s best in line. I’m going to show you who I am, what I can do. They thought Leon could walk through me, now I’m going to walk through all these other guys.”

It was a long wait for Muhammad to both get a title shot, and get the opportunity run things back with Edwards after their March 2021 fight was ruled a no contest. Muhammad lost the first round before getting poked in the eye just 18 seconds into Round 2, and had to spend years listening to people tell him he was en route to getting beat.

“I think I’m the best fighter in the world, I know I’m the best fighter in the world, I just had to prove it and I had to show you guys,” Muhammad said. “We had three years to sit there and I had to dwell on that thing.

“That last fight of everybody saying, ‘Oh, he would have beat him, he would have won the last other rounds.’ We didn’t even get started in that fight. This fight we got started. We just dominated the champion. We made it look easy and we did it better than Colby (Covington) did, better than Usman did.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.