Louis Taylor thinks Shavkat Rakhmonov will have to finish Belal Muhammad to beat him.

Taylor expects Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) to potentially be Muhammad’s (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) first title defense. Rakhmonov has a 100 percent finish rate, but Muhammad’s head coach warns him of Muhammad’s pace and cardio.

“Gas tank is going to be a factor, and I think we beat him 3-2 or 4-1,” Taylor told Sportskeeda. “I look at people like Shavkat. Shavkat’s a finisher, and he’s good at it. But if you don’t put Belal out of there, he’s going to keep coming.”

Former champion Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) also appears to be in the running for a title shot after continuously trading barbs with Muhammad.

“I mean, I would prefer ‘no-knees’ Usman,” Taylor said. “But no, no, no. Both of those guys are well deserving and well respected. Again, if you go for the numbers game, it’s Usman. If you go for the legacy game, taking someone’s 0, it would be Shavkat.”

Rakhmonov told MMA Fighting that Muhammad rejected an October return, something the champion ruled out from the start. Muhammad claimed the title just over a month ago when he dominated Leon Edwards for the most part at UFC 304.

Taylor thinks a short while after October works to schedule his first title defense.

“If you watch Belal’s career, the year or whatever it was spat that we had to wait from the Gilbert Burns fight until the Leon fight, that was literally the longest layoff Belal has ever had,” Taylor said. “It made me nervous stepping up from such a long layoff into such a high-caliber bout. I think we should fight in November, December. (That) would be great.”