Muhammad out of UFC 310 main event vs. Rakhmonov
UFC 310 needs a new main event.
Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is out of his title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov due to a bone infection in his foot, he announced Thursday.
The fight was scheduled to headline the final pay-per-view event of the year at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.
Muhammad said on social media he's unable to do physical activity for the next six weeks.
"I'm sorry to everyone that were coming to see me," Muhammad wrote. "I'll be back soon."
Rakhmonov said he wants to stay on the card and fight someone else for the interim welterweight title.
"Wishing Belal a quick recovery," Rakhmonov wrote on X. "We'll meet when you're back at 100%. For now, I'm ready to take on any contender for the interim title at UFC 310."
Muhammad captured the 170-pound belt with a unanimous decision win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. The Chicago resident is riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak and hasn't lost since 2019.
Rakhmonov, ranked No. 3 in the division, is 6-0 in the UFC and 18-0 as a professional. The Kazakh fighter has a 100% career finish rate and is coming off a submission of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson last December.
UFC 310 is also scheduled to feature a flyweight title bout between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura.