Belal Muhammad explained the refusal to fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov

“I have never avoided difficult fights,” the American said in an interview with MMAFighting. “I always ask for the toughest challenges and he goes on a good streak, but I just beat the prospect with a 15-0 record. Shavkat is a dangerous fighter, but for me it’s still a step back. It’s another guy fight that if I beat him I’ll hear, ‘Well, he wasn’t as good as we thought. Who is he anyway?'”

“After defeating Sean Brady, all I heard was ‘Sean Brady sucks, he’s a nobody, do you seriously think you’re getting a title shot for this?’ And I sit and think that if Sean Brady won this fight, he would fight for the title. He would be next in line because his record would be 16-0 and everyone was saying how amazing he is.”

Muhammad considers former division champion Kamaru Usman, who lost to Leon Edwards twice in a row, as an ideal opponent for himself.

“So now I only look up. The only ones ahead of me are Colby, Leon and Kamaru. Kamaru didn’t take any damage in the previous fight and he’s still in it, talking about coming back – I think this fight makes sense. I have two contenders for the title on my resume – I beat Demian Maia and Stephen Thompson. I beat potential challenger Vicente Luque and prospect Sean Brady. The only thing that is not on my resume is a name that everyone recognizes, and that is a former champion. A guy that people think is one of the best welterweights of all time.”

“If there are names that will give me a title shot, it’s Usman, Colby, or Leon. Therefore, I’m only going to fight those who are at the top. That’s the only way I can guarantee myself something.”

Earlier, Belal Muhammad announced that he was ready to insure the title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, who, according to rumors, will head the UFC 291 tournament in London on July 22.