Belal Muhammad makes bold promise ahead of Shavkat Rakhmonov fight: "I see holes in his game"

Belal Muhammad claimed he sees "holes" in Shavkat Rakhmonov's fighting skills.

In December 2024, Muhammad was scheduled to defend his welterweight title for the first time against Rakhmonov at UFC 310.

Muhammad pulled out of the matchup due to an infected foot, leading to Rakhmonov further proving he deserves a title shot with a unanimous decision win against Ian Garry.

Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov is expected to be rebooked later this year to determine the UFC welterweight world champion.

During an interview with Barstool Chicago, Muhammad had this to say about Rakhmonov:

"They put [Shavkat Rakhmonov] on this pedestal to be this undefeated crazy guy. I see holes in his game. The same way I saw holes in Leon's game. I think Leon is a better striker than Shavkat, but mentally I think Shavkat is a lot stronger. I don't see him breaking mentally."

Muhammad continued by saying:

"The biggest thing for him is now you're fighting a guy that's not afraid of you. Everybody he fights, they come in there with nerves and they are afraid, 'Oh, he's crazy, he's a robot, he's this, this, and that.' A lot of guys would just fold out of that fear."

Watch Belal Muhammad talk about his expected matchup against Rakhmonov below:

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Belal Muhammad believes he can break Shavkat Rakhmonov with relentless forward pressure

Shavkat Rakhmonov holds a professional MMA record of 19-0, including seven wins in the UFC. The Kazakh welterweight contender has established a reputation amongst fans and analysts for being a potential world champion.

However, Belal Muhammad expressed his confidence to defend his title against Rakhmonov:

"So, for me, I'm going to be in his face the whole time. It's going to be the same result, another guy breaking."

Muhammad followed up by saying:

"A lot of guys like him, when you've never felt that, where a guy is not afraid of you or a guy is still with you this whole time for five rounds and he's pushing a different pace that you've never seen before, and 'I'm supposed to be the undefeated guy,' you've never had to experience that before. It's going to be the worst-case scenario for him."

Belal Muhammad endured a long road to becoming a UFC world champion, tallying a 10-fight unbeaten streak before earning a title shot. Muhammad now looks to further his legacy by clearing out the welterweight division and pursuing a second title at middleweight.