MANCHESTER, England – Belal Muhammad will struggle Shavkat Rakhmonov and any No. 1 contender after UFC 304.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) dethroned Leon Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) to turn into welterweight champion in Saturday’s foremost occasion at Co-op Stay in Manchester, England.

Muhammad was instantly referred to as out by Rakhamonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), and the brand new champion welcomes the problem.

“Congratulations in your well-deserved victory, @bullyb170! I hope you retain your phrase and defend your title in opposition to me once you’re prepared, champ.”

Congratulations in your well-deserved victory, @bullyb170! I hope you retain your phrase and defend your title in opposition to me once you’re prepared, champ

— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) July 28, 2024

“Yeah, in fact,” Muhammad stated on preventing Rakhmonov on the UFC 304 post-fight information convention. “I’ve actually by no means turned down a struggle. I’ve by no means backed down from anyone. I had so many individuals flip down fights in opposition to me so, now I’m on the high. I’m the person and for me, now it’s cementing my legacy as one of the best welterweight to ever do it.

“I’m not going to sit down there and name out these random guys. Who’s subsequent in line, who’s greatest in line. I’m going to indicate you who I’m, what I can do. They thought Leon may stroll by way of me, now I’m going to stroll by way of all these different guys.”

It was an extended look forward to Muhammad to each get a title shot, and get the chance run issues again with Edwards after their March 2021 struggle was dominated a no contest. Muhammad misplaced the primary spherical earlier than getting poked within the eye simply 18 seconds into Spherical 2, and needed to spend years listening to folks inform him he was en path to getting beat.

“I believe I’m one of the best fighter on the earth, I do know I’m one of the best fighter on the earth, I simply needed to show it and I needed to present you guys,” Muhammad stated. “We had three years to sit down there and I needed to dwell on that factor.

“That final struggle of all people saying, ‘Oh, he would have beat him, he would have received the final different rounds.’ We didn’t even get began in that struggle. This struggle we received began. We simply dominated the champion. We made it look straightforward and we did it higher than Colby (Covington) did, higher than Usman did.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 304.