It has been widely reported that Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov is close to being signed for UFC 315. The pair were meant to fight at UFC 308 before Muhammad pulled out through injury, with UFC 315 now targeted for the UFC Welterweight Title clash.
Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov Targeted For UFC 315
As the New Year gets underway, UFC fans have their sights set on the next pay-per-view event. The first UFC PPV of 2025 takes place on January 18 as UFC 311 takes centre stage, headlined by Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan.
After that, UFC 312 has also been confirmed, with the UFC 313 main event yet to be made official. Fast forward another month or two, and it is now being widely reported that UFC 315 will be headlined by Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov.
This fight is set to headline at some time in April, with Muhammad looking to defend his UFC Welterweight Title for the very first time against the #1 contender.
Muhammad vs Rakhmonov was supposed to take place at UFC 310 in December in the last pay-per-view of the year, but the champion pulled out of the fight after suffering an injury during training. Instead, Rakhmonov fought unbeaten Irish welterweight Ian Garry, winning via decision.
Now, all roads lead to Muhammad vs Rakhmonov at UFC 315, with the fight set to be officially announced in the next month. Belal Muhammad became champion at UFC 304 in London last year, comprehensively outpointing Leon Edwards to become the new king of the 170-pound division.
Around nine months on from winning the UFC Welterweight Title back in July 2024, it seems that Muhammad is set to defend his crown for the very first time. He will be firmly up against it against the unbeaten Kazakh fighter, and may even be the slight underdog with the best UFC betting sites, despite being the champion.
BREAKING NEWS 🚨
Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov targeted for #UFC315
(Source @AliAbdelaziz00) pic.twitter.com/B4m20WJQL8
— Rueben Carter 🥇 (@realruebenking) January 2, 2025
UFC Welterweight Title On The Line At UFC 315
With Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov reportedly set for UFC 315, this of course means that the UFC Welterweight Title will be on the line.
As previously mentioned, Muhammad won the 170-pound world title belt back in July at UFC 304. The American travelled to England and defeated Leon Edwards via unanimous decision over five rounds, becoming the new king of the welterweight division in the process.
For the challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov, he overcame some adversity in his last fight at UFC 310 with Ian Garry, but eventually got the job done. He too won his last fight via decision, which was the first time in his entire MMA career he didn’t finish his opponent by either knockout or submission.
UFC President Dana White has already announced some cracking pay-per-view cards for 2025, with UFC 315 set to be another one in April time. An exact date, venue and fight card is yet to be announced, but expect an official announcement to be made within the next month.
The best UK betting sites will likely list Rakhmonov as a favourite over Muhammad for the UFC 315 main event, despite being the challenger. Should the Kazakh fighter win, this would mean the UFC Welterweight Title has changes hands in back-to-back fights.
Time will tell whether Belal Muhammad vs Shavkat Rakhmonov gets officially signed and sealed in the next few weeks or not. It seems highly likely though, given that the UFC continuously put on the biggest and best fights in the sport of MMA.
Be sure to claim the various UFC betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of the next big UFC pay-per-view event.
