‘He Is This Close’

There aren’t many fight fans who would want to see Kamaru Usman get the next UFC welterweight title shot, but the former champion may be closer than expected.

Current UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is just coming off a win against Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to claim the 170-pound throne and he’s looking for his first title defense. Muhammad had to wait a very long time to get his first chance to hoist UFC gold, but “Remember the Name” dominated his fight against Edwards and seems eager to get back into the cage.

At this time, it appears like undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov has the inside track to challenge Muhammad for his title next. The Kazakh contender has turned in a perfect 6-0 record with six finishes since entering the promotion back in 2020. That includes recent submission victories over Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal.

While it seems like Rakhmonov is the obvious choice for the next UFC welterweight title shot a lot of focus has been put on Usman as someone who can step in and steal that opportunity. After all, “Nigerian Nightmare” is one of the best welterweights in the history of the sport and just did the promotion a solid by stepping up on short notice and fighting Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight fight at UFC 294 last October.

Usman nearly won that fight, but he did end up losing and is currently riding a three-fight skid. No fighter has ever earned a UFC title shot after dropping three fights in a row, but given the current landscape of the welterweight division and Usman’s track record there’s a chance that could happen.

According to MMA analyst, Chael Sonnen, Usman is much closer to a title fight against Muhammad than people think.

“He is right there about to get Belal, I mean he is right there,” said Sonnen via his YouTube channel. “There is only one guy even in discussion that might nudge him out and that is Rakhmonov and it’s wildly important that they get this figured out. If Rakhmonov nudges him out, there’s probably not going to be another time that Kamaru’s going to be needed.

“This is the time, he’s got to beat him. Rakhmonov has got to shine himself up just a little bit more. The UFC, no matter how big it is and no matter what the fan base is, is not ready for a press conference with Muhammad and Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman has got to push that narrative. I’m only sharing that because he is this close and at one point he didn’t know it.”

Wat do you think, Maniacs? Does Usman or Shavkat get the next shot at UFC gold?

Let’s hear it!