UFC 286 is in the books where we saw Leon Edwards become victorious yet again dominating the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Usman closed a sizable favorite in the rubber match and Edwards showed that his confidence and his skills leveled up immensely after his knockout in their second meeting.
Now that the third and final installment between these two is over, the rest of the division can finally move on. Now that Edwards is the undisputed champion, it opens up a ton of opportunities for other fighters at the top of the division.
Dana White just announced that Colby Covington is next to challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight championship. Most believed that was the next contender no matter who won over this past weekend after he weighed in as the alternate.
Many believed that Belal Muhammad should be next in line for the title shot considering he is on an eight-fight winning streak with more wins against ranked opposition than the current champion. Unfortunately for him, he got the short end of the straw and draw his toughest assignment to date in Shavkat Rakhomonov.
Does Belal Muhammad Deserve a Title Shot?
Muhammad has a very strong case to be next in line for a title shot. He is currently riding an eight-fight winning streak and hasn’t lost a fight since 2019 against Geoff Neal. He also has won 12 of his last 13 fights dating back to 2017.
He also has more wins against ranked opposition than Leon Edwards did in his rise to title contention. He may not have the most fan-friendly style of fighting but he is a hard worker that is more than deserving of a title shot against Edwards.
Most forget that Muhammad and Edwards were scheduled to fight one another for a main event fight at a fight night event, but early into the fight Edwards eye poked Muhammad so badly that he couldn’t continue the fight. Instead of an immediate rematch, Edwards went on to beat Nate Diaz who didn’t fight for two years prior, and then got a title shot.
It is a shame because now Muhammad will have to fight who some call the boogeyman of the welterweight division in the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. Rakhmonov has been wreaking havoc since coming into the UFC winning all of his five fights and finishing each and every one of his opponents.
It looks like Muhammad will have to continue his winning ways and then it will be next to impossible for the UFC to deny him his very first title shot.
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