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“You have to give it to Kamaru” … Joe Rogan claims the UFC “owes” Kamaru Usman the next welterweight title fight

Current UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has opened the door to a few different challengers for his first title defense, but Joe Rogan believes it should be against Kamaru Usman.

Following his underdog win over Leon Edwards in Manchester in July, Belal Muhammad has spoken about wanting to be an active champion and highlighted some contenders for his first title defense.

Undefeated challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov seemed a sure-fire candidate for the next title shot after his impressive six-fight winning streak in the UFC, but Muhammad was toying with the idea of ​​defending his belt against Kamaru Usman next.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Joe Rogan claims the UFC “owes” Kamaru Usman the next welterweight title fight

Although the “Nigerian Nightmare” has lost three fights in a row and his last fight was at middleweight, the idea seems to be gaining momentum.

Following his last-minute step-in loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October last year, the 37-year-old talked about possibly moving up to 185 pounds all the way, but has since stated that he will return to welterweight.

UFC commentator and icon Joe Rogan claimed that the federation “owes” the former champion the next title fight because he was willing to fight “Borz” on short notice.

“I think they're giving (Belal Muhammad) Kamaru (Usman), that's the big money fight, that's the smart fight. They owe Kamaru for taking Khamzat (Chimaev) on 10 days' notice,” Rogan claimed on the Joe Rogan Experience.

“And also a three-round fight instead of a five-round fight. When he won the third… It looked to me like he was going to go through in third. He had to see through him and trust his gas tank as well.

“The guy trained for ten days for one of the most terrifying motherfuckers in the world. The world! I think you have to give it to Kamaru, because I think Kamaru earned it just for that.”

Belal Muhammad's first title contender is currently unknown

“Remember The Name” recently claimed that he believes Usman is a tougher opponent than Rakhmonov because he sees gaps in the “Nomad’s” game.

“I would say Usman is a tougher fight. When I look at Shavkat, I see a lot of gaps and a lot of paths to victory,” Muhammad told MMAFighting.

Another reason Rogan believes the UFC should give Usman the next title shot is because he is now 37 years old and may not have many years left at the top of the division.

“Kamaru doesn't have many years left now, he's 37… I say give him another chance. Shavkat becomes a legend with every victory. An ever bigger legend.”

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