Shavkat Rakhmonov Accuses Belal Muhammad of UFC 307 Title Fight Snub

Shavkat Rakhmonov claims UFC Champ Belal Muhammad turned down a fight with him in October.

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Shavkat Rakhmonov will have to wait a little while longer for his first UFC title shot.

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With his fellow top welterweights likely a win away from title contention, the #3-ranked contender Rakhmonov believes he's next in line to fight newly-crowned champ Belal Muhammad after stringing together six-straight victories inside the Octagon, last defeating former title challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson in December.

The title fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov is far from confirmed, however, as Muhammad is taking his time following his title win over Leon Edwards last month in Manchester and entertaining another potential challenger in the form of ex-champ Kamaru Usman, one of the greatest welterweights of all time.

UFC's Shavkat Rakhmonov. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Rakhmonov Says He Signed On For Title Fight, Muhammad Declined

Muhammad's definitely got options between these two fighters for his first title defense, with the UFC apparently trying to match him up with Rakhmonov for UFC 307 on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah in what what would have been too quick of a turnaround for the welterweight champ.

"I already been offered to fight Belal, and I accepted the fight against Belal," Rakhmonov revealed to MMA Fighting's Mike Heck. "But, unfortunately, he declined to fight me due to the timing issues. He wasn't ready to defend his belt on that time."

"Before he became a champion and after he won the belt, he said he's gonna be an active champion, and he will defend his belt more often. But at the moment, he wasn't backing up what he said. So, let's see what's gonna happen, when he's gonna be ready to fight me."

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad. / Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports

The Champ Needs Some Time Off After Fighting On July 27

Muhammad has expressed that he wants to be a much more active champion than the one that came before him in Leon Edwards, but fighting in July and less than three months later in October isn't ideal for "Remember The Name", who recently told MMA Junkie he's targeting a December return at UFC 310 instead.

"After all the talk about being an active champion, truth is Belal isn’t even ready to defend his title this year," Rakhmonov wrote on 'X' on Wednesday.

After all the talk about being an active champion, truth is Belal isn’t even ready to defend his title this year https://t.co/tg7cy1sfxN

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

Title Fight Timeline

While Rakhmonov isn't too convinced that Muhammad will want to fight him this year, the 18-0 fighter is willing to wait however long it takes for his first-ever UFC title opportunity.

"If they say December, January, I'm gonna be ready," Rakhmonov said regarding a fight with Muhammad. "They say April, May, it doesn't matter. I already deserve to fight for the belt. I already secured the spot, and I'll just make sure I'm gonna be ready for this fight. So, whenever he's ready."

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