Belal Muhammad withdraws from UFC 310 fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov

Belal Muhammad withdraws from his 170 lbs title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in Las Vegas due to bone infection in his foot

Belal Muhammad no longer defends his welterweight title against Shavkat Rakhmonov atop the UFC 310 fight card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 7. The newly-crowned champion was forced to withdraw from the main event due to bone infection in his foot.

The Chicago native posted a video on X showing him in the hospital. The caption says he would stay on IV antibiotics with no physical activity for the next 6 weeks.

36-year-old Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) landed the 170-pound title by unanimous decision against Leon Edwards in July. He was expected to make the first defense of his belt against Rakhmonov (18-0).

The 30-year-old challenger Uzbekistan reacted to the news saying he was ready to face a replacement opponent for the interim strap. At this stage it is unclear whether the unbeaten No. 3-ranked contender remains on the card.

“Wishing Belal a quick recovery, Rakhmonov posted 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.”

The UFC 310 co-main event features flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (28-5) of Brazil up against against two-time Rizin bantamweight champion Kai Asakura (21-4) of Japan.

With the Muhammad vs Rakhmonov cancelation, the current UFC 310 lineup looks as the following.

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura – Pantoja’s UFC flyweight title
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Vicente Luque vs. Nick Diaz
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Randy Brown vs. Bryan Battle
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Tallison Teixeira
  • Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
  • Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
  • Anthony Smith vs. Dominick Reyes
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. TBA
  • Rizvan Kuniev vs. Martin Buday
  • Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. TBA
Parviz Iskenderov
Parviz Iskenderov is a former Muay Thai fighter, sports manager and editor at FIGHTMAG.

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