Shavkat Rakhmonov is among three names that come to mind for Muhammad.
After nine straight wins and more than a year of waiting, the #2 UFC welterweight contender will finally get his shot at gold when he takes on Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 304 on July 27. Muhammad heads into enemy territory in Manchester, England - not too far along for Birmingham's first champion Edwards.
Fighting and dethroning Edwards will be a tall task in itself , but even more so is handling a new batch of contenders that are right at the doors of title contention. Should Muhammad break on through to become a world champion, there are a few names that ring the bell for the Chicago-native's first title defense.
"Honestly, for me, it's like everybody's obviously hyping up Shavkat ," Muhammad told 'The Schmo', when asked about his first title defense. "They were talking about him and JDM . But, my thing right now is to be the best welterweight to ever do it, right? So, I want to fight the guys that they keep . Even if I go out there and I walk through Leon Edwards, they're going to have an excuse of, oh, I beat him because of this, I beat him because of that...
The undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is currently ranked at #3 in the world with Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry not treading far behind."I Don't Want To Wait A Year To Fight Like Leon" For Muhammad, becoming a champion is so much more than beating Edwards for the belt. "Remember The Name" wants to build a legacy that's he proud of and that includes staying busy - something he hasn't been for a while as he'll have waited 448 days for his first title fight, with his last appearance in the Octagon being a decision win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 288.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UFC 304: Savage Middleweight Strikers Clash at Manchester PPVUFC 304 keeps getting better.
Read more »
UFC 304: Bobby Green Legally Changes His Name, Paddy Pimblett’s Witty ResponseGreen also eyes a quick turnaround at UFC 305 against a familiar face...
Read more »
UFC 304: Tom Aspinall Impressed by Alex Pereira, Opens Door for Heavyweight Fight'If the UFC wanna do that, I'm more than happy to do it,' Aspinall on potentially fighting Pereira.
Read more »
UFC 303 -- How Alex Pereira stepped up once again for the UFCPereira steps in for the UFC once again, this time in a rematch against Jiri Procházka at UFC 303. Can 'Poatan' create one of the more unique legacies in MMA history?
Read more »
UFC News: Israel Adesanya Announces Next Fight at UFC 305 in AustraliaIsrael Adesanya gets his grudge match at UFC 305.
Read more »
UFC News: Dustin Poirier Rips Michael Chandler, 'You Got 1 Win in the UFC'Poirier took umbrage with remarks made by Chandler on social media.
Read more »