The shock of the day in the MMA world came when Italian MMA journalist Al Zullino reported on Twitter that UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has pulled out of his recently announced first title defense at UFC 310 against Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Belal Muhammad is out of his title bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov, which was supposed to happen on December 7th at #UFC310, multiple sources confirmed to me after rumors started spreading in recent days.
The UFC is actively looking for a replacement fight, I’m told.
— Al Zullino (@phre) October 31, 2024
In a follow-up tweet Zullino added, “We’re not talking about some minor injuries here…there’s more serious stuff going on.
Unfortunately, that report has borne fruit, as Muhammad confirmed the report with a video of him in a hospital bed. He says he has a bone infection in his foot, which sounds serious and painful even to a layman.
A picture of the foot in question was also shared widely on social media on Thursday. Warning for graphic content.
Belal’s toe already looking some better. Looks like he had incision and drainage (I&D) of the infected toe, and the would was packed with iodoform gauze (red arrow) which will fill the open wound created from the I&D. Redness on top of the foot already less. #UFC310 pic.twitter.com/JoqbG4WMcw
— Kevin Nicholson (@MMAInjury) October 31, 2024
This is unfortunately for what was shaping up to be a banger of a UFC 310 main card which boasted two compelling title fights. The promotion is reportedly searching for a replacement fight, with potential Alex Pereira fights against Dricus du Plessis and Magomed Ankalaev being considered but deemed not possible.
Depending how long Muhammad is out of commission, the UFC may deign to create an interim belt for the division. If so, the likely opponents for Shavkat Rakhmonov would be Ian Garry or Jack Della Maddalena, both of whom are on long win streaks and have bright futures at 170-lbs.
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