Belal Muhammad Ready For UFC Return, No Interest In Fighting Islam Makhachev

Belal Muhammad says he's back in the gym and gunning to make a mid-2025 return to the Octagon ... but he's not looking to share the Octagon with training partner Islam Makhachev.

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC welterweight champ ... several weeks after 36-year-old Muhammad was forced to pull out of his title defense fight with number one contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

"I think for sure, May, June, right after Ramadan is where I'm aiming for. And, definitely before summertime, that would work perfectly for me, where I could get in three fights this year, that's my goal, to stay active," Belal told us of his plans.

But, is Rakhmonov, 19-0, still the opp? Muhammad says yes.

"I think it's still Shavkat. I think for the way that he fought Ian Garry. They were going for the number one contender fight. And he's still that boogeyman, right, where people are still pointing him out, saying, 'He's going to beat you now, he's going to kill you now.'"

It's almost certainly going to be the 30-year-old top contender ... though Kamaru Usman -- former longtime 170 lb. champ -- made waves when he suggested BM fight Makhachev, his training partner and current lightweight title holder.

However, Belal says he's not interested because of the relationship he has with Islam, Khabib, and the rest of their team.

"I mean, for me, I definitely wouldn't want to fight them guys, like they've done so much for me, they helped me so much and I consider them like brothers, so in my mind it's not one of those things that I'm going to go out there and search for," Muhammad told us.

BM, in answering the question, also took a hot at Kamaru for the suggestion.

"You freaking bum. You never trained with Adesanya in your life, and you said you were never going to fight Adesanya. You never trained with Khabib in your life, and you said you're never going to fight Khabib."