Belal Muhammad is only interested in fighting Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, or Colby Covington next, stating he is “only looking upwards” in the welterweight division.
Belal Muhammad eagerly anticipated the UFC 286 post-fight press conference, hoping to hear his name called as the No. 1 contender in the welterweight division. Instead, he was surprised to find out that UFC president Dana White had given Colby Covington the next shot at reigning champion Leon Edwards. Additionally, White noted that the UFC is working on a match-up between Muhammad and undefeated up-and-comer Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Muhammad was taken aback by the news, as he had never been approached about the Rakhmonov fight until watching the post-fight press conference. In the aftermath, he met with White and the UFC to discuss his future, although no decisions have been made yet. While Muhammad acknowledges Rakhmonov’s impressive run and is not averse to tough fights, he believes that taking on another up-and-comer after recently beating Sean Brady is effectively fighting downwards in the division.
As it currently stands, Muhammad’s ideal scenario would be to compete for the title next. He is not giving up hope, especially since there are no signed contracts between Edwards and Covington at present. For Muhammad, the only fights that interest him now are against current and former champions, or the new No. 1 contender, Colby Covington. If a match against Kamaru Usman is not a possibility, he believes that a showdown with Covington would be the most significant determining factor for who gets the next title shot against Edwards.
Muhammad is hopeful that Edwards will stick to his guns and refuse to fight Covington, leaving the door open for him to go up against the controversial welterweight. With Edwards unlikely to fight again until late 2023, Muhammad does not see a reason for Covington, who has been out of action for over a year, to wait idly. As he puts it, “Stick to your guns. Don’t say yes to that fight. Let me fight Colby and the winner of that gets next.”