Belal Muhammad is preparing to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, but he will have one eye on a long-awaited fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov.
The fight marks Belal Muhammad’s first title defense as UFC Welterweight world champion, after Muhammad’s impressive victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304.
However, this wasn’t the match Muhammad wanted. “Remember the Name” was initially supposed to face Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in his first title defense.
However, an injury to Muhammad put that fight on hold until a later date, assuming the champion retains his title in Canada on May 10, as fans wonder when, if ever, we’ll see Muhammad vs Rakhmonov in the UFC.
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When will Belal Muhammad fight Shavkat Rakhmonov?
As of May 2025, the UFC has not rescheduled the fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov.
Muhammad is instead booked to fight Della Maddalena at UFC 315, pushing Rakhmonov even further away from a bout against the champion, despite being the second-ranked fighter in the Welterweight division.
The champion previously admitted that he wanted to face Rakhmonov “after Ramadan”, around “May or June” this year.
However, as he booked the fight with Della Maddalena instead, it seems unlikely that Muhammad’s next bout would be so soon.
He told MMA Junkie: “Right after Ramadan, I think. May, June, is the perfect timeline for me. I started last week training with those guys down in Vegas.
“That was a nice shock to the body. It got me awoken. It let me know, ‘All right, we’ve got to get in shape-shape. So it just feels good to be training. I was at the PI.
“I was doing therapy every day over there, so my body is finally getting back to normal and finally getting back to where it was.”
It seems like the fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov will take place later this year, although the challenger may be waiting a while, as a new challenger has made their presence known to the Welterweight Champion.
Islam Makhachev wants to face the winner of Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
The main event of UFC 315 means big things for UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, while having a huge impact on Rakhmonov’s fight with Muhammad.
He spoke on X (formerly known as Twitter), explaining how the main event of UFC 315 will “define what my next move is”, implying he will go after the winner of the bout in an attempt to become a double champion.
Makhachev said: “This Saturday’s main event will define what’s my next move is,” Makhachev wrote on X on Friday.
“But regardless of outcome [of] that fight, I’m not going to vacate my lightweight title!”
If Makhachev does challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship, then Rakhmonov may be pushed further back in the queue, delaying his match with Muhammad in the process.