Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champ Belal
Muhammad’s foot is a balloon.
The 170-pound beltholder revealed on social
media on Thursday that a bone infection in his foot—one that
made a toe dangerously swell up—has forced him out of action for
the next six weeks. As a result of this, Muhammad (24-3, 1 NC) will
no longer be competing atop UFC 310
on Dec. 7. News of his withdrawal first came from Al Zullino on
X, the service formerly known as Twitter. Per
other outlets, the organization is trying to find a replacement
opponent for challenger Shavkat
Rakhmonov (18-0), but he may not remain on the lineup at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on that date.
Rakhmonov chimed in after learning the news, wishing Muhammad well
and expressing his interest in rebooking the matchup at a later
date. He still has his eye on the prize.
“Wishing Belal a quick recovery,” Rakhmonov wrote.
“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.”
There is no indication whether the promotion is considering an
interim title situation, given the timetable for Muhammad’s
recovery is still not official. If he does compete, Rakhmonov will
be looking to push his undefeated streak to 19, while attempting to
maintain his flawless 100% finish rate. “Nomad” worked his way to a
championship opportunity by racking up six wins under the UFC
banner over growingly impressive opposition. In his last three
victories, Rakhmonov tapped out Neil Magny,
Geoff
Neal and Stephen
Thompson, in the span of about 18 months.
Muhammad intends on returning as soon as possible—he is not going
to be allowed to train for six weeks minimum, and the remaining
timetable depends on the severity of the infection—and when he
does, he will be making the first defense of his welterweight
throne. “Remember the Name” claimed it courtesy of a decision over
Leon
Edwards in a grudge match. Before facing Edwards, Muhammad beat
names like Thompson, Vicente
Luque and Gilbert
Burns as he methodically climbed the 170-pound ladder.
UFC 310 will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec.
7, and the headliner is currently in flux. The scheduled co-main
event of Alexandre
Pantoja vs. Manel Kape
for the flyweight strap could be elevated to the main attraction,
but the UFC has not announced a shift as of yet. Other marquee
pairings include a heavyweight rematch between Ciryl Gane
and Alexander
Volkov as well as a featherweight title eliminator pitting
Movsar
Evloev against Aljamain
Sterling.