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UFC News: Champion Belal Muhammad Called Out for First Title Defense

"Remember the Name" received a stern reminder from one of the UFC's top welterweights.

Drew Beaupre

(Ben Roberts/Getty Images)

Belal Muhammad has only held the UFC welterweight belt for less than a month, but he already has one challenger eager to claim the division’s next title shot.

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“Remember the Name” finally got a crack at UFC gold last month at UFC 304 when he headlined UFC 304 in Manchester, England opposite Leon Edwards, who he’d previously met in a 2021 UFC Fight Night main event that ended in the second round due to an eye poke.

A fairly dominant unanimous decision win saw Muhammad stun Edwards and claim the UFC welterweight strap, and although the newly-crowned champion has no shortage of options for his first title defense it appears that #3-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov is certain that he’s next in line at welterweight.

A perfect 18-0 in his professional career, Rakhomonov joined the UFC in 2020 and has preserved his 100% finishing rate across six fights with the world’s leading MMA promotion.

“Nomad” most recently submitted two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 296, and at the moment it seems that the only potential obstacle to him challenging Muhammad is former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” has been trading words with Muhammad online in the aftermath of UFC 304. While it would be no surprise to see the UFC book a grudge match between the two men, Usman may need to earn at least one win first after dropping back-to-back title fights against Edwards before he also lost to Khamzat Chimaev in a short-notice middleweight bout at UFC 294.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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