Belal Muhammad and his reported clash with Shavkat Rakhmonov in the Fall could perhaps see Islam Makhachev emerge as a roadblock according to one of MMA's most widely known analysts. On his personal YouTube channel recently, Chael Sonnen discussed the recently reported clash for Oct. between Muhammad and Rakhmonov that came from Jon Anik during a recent episode of The Anik & Florian Podcast.
When loosely touching on the looming welterweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and champion Jack Della Maddalena as well as the training partner connectivity that would prevent a Muhammad vs. Makhachev fight down the line, Chael Sonnen said,
"Now, I don’t know how we got there. Belal versus Shavkat Rakhmonov is a problem for one reason—which is, if Belal wins, there’s nowhere to go. Belal can’t draw in to Islam. He just can’t. He can’t, after Islam already did him the same favor. Islam said, “I will not draw in if it’s against you.” So, if Muhammad was to beat Rakhmonov, I would have to assume that’s a number one contender’s match. Now, Rakhmonov… I’m not trying to slight Shavkat, that’s not my goal here, to slight Shavkat or give you an underhanded prediction that he can’t win."
"I’m just talking about the parity of matchups. I love the idea, and most importantly, I love that Belal has his mind on it. I will watch guys—the world is a big place—and I will watch guys get stuck in the cracks, and they can’t get out of them. They stay stuck in the cracks. Your next move—right, your next move is always your most important move. Your next move off of a loss is such an important move. But there’s one more thing to it, which is the time between now and your next move."
Sonnen continued, "It is one of the key elements. Don’t wait. Don’t wait any longer off a loss than you would a victory. Those are some of the keys that all have to stay the same. You keep your demeanor the same, you never let them see you sweat—all these adages that you hear, but they all tie in."
Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov and the initial booking attempt
Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov was initially supposed to transpire at UFC 310 last Dec. Muhammad was looking to make the first defense of his 170 pound crown against Rakhmonov until the then-welterweight champion had to pull out due to a significant infection that compromised Muhammad's foot and bone.
Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight belt against former Rizin champion Kai Asakura was then eventually bumped up as the headliner for that pay-per-view in late 2024. Belal Muhammad vesus Shavkat Rakhmonov has still not been formally announced by the promotion at this juncture.
