Forget the ‘bums’ at 185-pounds in UFC competition, but ‘Remember the Name.’ The name is UFC 310’s Belal Muhammad. The Palestinian-American fighter doesn’t mind pursuing a second UFC title at middleweight. The journey towards double champion status only comes when there’s no work left in the welterweight division.
For now, Belal Muhammad makes a maiden defense of the 170-pound gold at the UFC 310 PPV headliner. He meets dangerous Kazakh phenom Shavkat Rakhmonov. If Muhammad gets past the boogeyman of the division in Rakhmonov, he will quickly run out of worthy title challengers. But the champ doesn’t exactly have a speed run in mind.
In general, with any fighter, you have to cement yourself as the leader in the division…think after Shavkat, you’ve got a couple of guys that are there. You got Ian Garry, you got JDM, and you got Kamaru Usman…Maybe one or two more fights, I think then I could start talking about middleweight and could start talking about double champ status… I can start talking about the bums at 185.
Belal Muhammad to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun
To become UFC champion is a career-long goal that Muhammad has succeeded in achieving. But becoming a dual-champ is a whole other game. It’s one that Muhammad doesn’t want to think about until he’s finished with the welterweight challengers. Ahead of UFC 310, he already has some animosity running with Kamaru Usman.
There is also undefeated prospect Ian Machado Garry, who is vying for title gold; Garry even called out Usman recently. He is up for the challenge after opening his competition tenure with a neat 8-0. Jack Della Maddalena could be another name in the running, and Muhammad has much to take out of the wolf pack.
Belal Muhammad has a fair chance against ‘boogeyman’ Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310
UFC analysts Dan Hellie, Michael Chiesa, and Alan Jouban recently gave a preview of Belal Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov. The Palestinian-American star won gold at UFC 304 with quite a performance. From outboxing to power throws and a head spiker, Muhammad proved worthy of the title. Hence, the analysts aren’t discounting Belal’s chances against the 100% finisher Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
The UFC 310 main event happens on December 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Chiesa, who has a date with Max Griffin on the same night, believes that Muhammad’s resume is not to be underestimated. He isn’t saying Belal Muhammad is a sure pick for the pay-per-view headliner. But Chiesa won’t be surprised if he can bounce off the offense from the Kazakh.
You look at Belal’s strength of schedule in his last six fights…fought Gilbert Burns on short notice in a five-round fight, beat him; and then dethrones Leon Edwards in his own backyard. Before people want to dismiss Belal Muhammad because of who he is fighting, you just look at that strength of schedule …This guy is the champion for a reason, and I would not be surprised if he took Shavkat’s 0.
Michael Chiesa durign UFC 310 Preview Panel for ESPN MMA (@ESPNMMA)
Muhammad is also piping up on that legendary short-notice schedule after his defense for 2025. He has already run through most of the top guys in his division and is gunning for middleweight. Barring a few, there aren’t many challenges. However, he must get past the Kazakh phenom.
Rakhmonov has his array of challenges and brings a certain gravitas. Just like Muhammad became UFC’s first Palestinian champion, ‘Nomad’ aims to create history for his country. Despite the year-long layoff, the Kazakh phenom will look to continue his finishing streak and conquer the division.
