UFC 304: Belal Muhammad on Who'd Be His First Title Defense with Leon Edwards Win

Shavkat Rakhmonov is among three names that come to mind for Muhammad.

Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports

What would a title reign look like for Belal Muhammad?

UFC Quote: Belal Muhammad Rips "Moron" Leon Edwards For Downplaying Contender Status

After nine straight wins and more than a year of waiting, the #2 UFC welterweight contender will finally get his shot at gold when he takes on Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 on July 27. Muhammad heads into enemy territory in Manchester, England - not too far along for Birmingham's first champion Edwards.

Belal Muhammad’s live reaction to finding out he’s fighting Leon Edwards at #UFC304 😂

🎥 @bullyb170 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/A0xzhfX7Me

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 16, 2024

Who's Next In Line At Welterweight?

Fighting and dethroning Edwards will be a tall task in itself (as Muhammad had a tough time in their first fight in 2021, which ended by no-contest), but even more so is handling a new batch of contenders that are right at the doors of title contention. Should Muhammad break on through to become a world champion, there are a few names that ring the bell for the Chicago-native's first title defense.

"Honestly, for me, it's like everybody's obviously hyping up Shavkat [Rakhmonov]," Muhammad told 'The Schmo', when asked about his first title defense. "They were talking about him and JDM [Jack Della Maddalena]. But, my thing right now is to be the best welterweight to ever do it, right? So, I want to fight the guys that they keep [giving me]. Even if I go out there and I walk through Leon Edwards, they're going to have an excuse of, oh, I beat him because of this, I beat him because of that... 'this guy's still going to beat you...'

"When my career is all said and done, I want to be the guy that beat every single great guy in my era, every guy that they thought would beat me. I want to walk through them all, whoever it is, line them up. You have Shavkat, you have Ian Garry, you have JDM, all these guys. I don't think any of them are really scheduled to fight right now, but whoever the UFC puts in front of me."

The undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is currently ranked at #3 in the world with Jack Della Maddalena (#5) and Ian Machado Garry (#7) not treading far behind.

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

"I Don't Want To Wait A Year To Fight Like Leon"

For Muhammad, becoming a champion is so much more than beating Edwards for the belt. "Remember The Name" wants to build a legacy that's he proud of and that includes staying busy - something he hasn't been for a while as he'll have waited 448 days for his first title fight, with his last appearance in the Octagon being a decision win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.

"I don't want to wait a year to fight like Leon Edwards."

- Belal Muhammad

Upcoming UFC title challenger Belal Muhammad / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

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