Daniel Cormier believes Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov’s post-fight faceoff at UFC 310 might’ve done more harm than good.
Undefeated UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov earned another big win and solidified his contention at UFC 310. He defeated former teammate Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision, despite some late-round scares from Garry on the ground.
After getting the win at UFC 310, Rakhmonov called for an Octagon-side Belal Muhammad to get in the cage for a face-to-face encounter. Despite some issues with Muhammad and cage security, he and Rakhmonov eventually faced off, but things remained amicable between the two sides and left the Octagon after a handshake.
Fans in attendance didn’t seem to embrace the faceoff with added excitement, and Daniel Cormier believes the whole thing was a mistake by both Rakhmonov and Muhammad.
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Daniel Cormier critical of translator-less banter between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Belal Muhammad
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier reacted to the Muhammad/Rakhmonov faceoff.
“I gotta be honest, it was weird…I don’t love faceoffs when you have a translator, especially when Belal [Muhammad], as much as people want to hate on him, he’s not a disrespectful guy,” Cormier said of Muhammad/Rakhmonov. “So it doesn’t make that moment that you’re looking for when you bring a champion into the [Octagon].
“When [Alexander Volkanovski] came in after Topuria beat Max, they shook hands and it was very respectful, but you understood what they were saying,” Cormier continued. “When [Sean O’Malley] was in there and he was about to fight Aljo for the belt, Merab takes the jacket, that makes a memory. This, tonight, I don’t think it served the purpose that you want as a promotion in regards to what you’re going to do to try and build that fight.”
Muhammad and Rakhmonov were slated to headline UFC 310 before Muhammad withdrew due to a toe infection. A timeline for his return is uncertain, as of this writing, although the UFC will likely try to re-book the matchup for 2025’s first semester.
Shavkat Rakhmonov solidifies No. 1 contender spot at UFC 310
Muhammad earned the UFC welterweight title by dethroning Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 304. He’s unbeaten over his last 11 fights, including recent wins over Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
Rakhmonov proved his past sparring sessions with Garry didn’t reflect how their clash would play out. After defeating Garry, the undefeated contender has Muhammad’s UFC world title in sight.
Rakhmonov has blossomed into a UFC fan favorite amidst his success in the Octagon. Muhammad, meanwhile, hasn’t captured the hearts of the majority of the UFC fan base, despite his run to the title.
Moving forward, Cormier hopes faceoffs featuring at least one non-English fluent fighter will be avoided. Regardless, Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov moves forward into 2025, although it’s uncertain how the fight will do from a pay-per-view draw perspective.