There has been a lot of conversation over the past week about whether there will be a surprise next contender for the welterweight title.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is the clear top pick to challenge Belal Muhammad next and according to him, he was already offered the fight but it didn't come together.
Some have debated whether Kamaru Usman's pedigree in the sport and strong relationship with the UFC could be enough for him to get the next shot despite the fact he is winless in his last three Octagon appearances.
The champion himself gave his thoughts on this where he clarified why in his opinion, Rakhmonov is next in line.
Belal Muhammad Says Kamaru Usman Misses Out Because Of Taking UFC 294 Opportunity
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Muhammad gave his thoughts on who he believes he will be fighting next.
Along with one option being more credible because of their current form, the champion also believes that fans would look to detract from his achievements if he were to defeat Usman, which means he finds himself more motivated to go the opposite way.
"Remember The Name" went with the consensus opinion that Rakhmonov deserves the opportunity but rather than totally disregarding Usman, he explained why in his opinion, "The Nigerian Nightmare" isn't the front-runner at this time.
I think it would just be, for me, if Usman didn't lose to Khamzat and take that fight, but people forget it was a short notice fight, that would be the fight because he only lost to Leon. But, now he lost three in a row, I think he would need another win. So for me now, it's all right, Shavkat is the boogeyman that they all think is unbeatable and now I'm getting freaking a thousand comments on my Instagram page anytime I post anything, from the 'Shavkatians', so yeah I think for me, it would be another one of those tests to prove people wrong, to shut them up right.
My last five or six fights, everybody thought I was gonna get killed, they thought I was gonna lose so he's another guy that I go out there and I smash him, what's your excuse gonna be? If I go out there and I beat Usman, it's like, 'Well he's on a three-fight losing streak, he's done, he has no knees, you just beat a bum.' But if I go out there and I beat Shavkat, they're gonna be like what? Nothing. He was undefeated, he has all finishes so now that's the guy that I'm putting my sights on.
Muhammad also broke down how he sees the fight against Rakhmonov playing out when they do eventually meet inside the Octagon.
He said that this fight will look similar to his title-winning display at UFC 304 and referenced his win over Sean Brady to explain why he believes he will be the one to hand the unbeaten contender his first loss.
Honestly I think it looks exactly like the Leon fight. I think I dominate him everywhere. For me, I have a different style every single fight.
Shavkat looks like he's not uncomfortable now because he's undefeated but these undefeated guys, like I dealt with with Sean Brady, I know how to make them uncomfortable and once I make them uncomfortable, I know how to break them.