Off the back of his exit from an undisputed welterweight title fight next month, Belal Muhammad may have paved a way for the unbeaten, Shavkat Rakhmonov to compete for an interim crown on the card — with the surging finisher suggesting the promotion introduce such a title into the division.
Slated to headline UFC 310 at the end of the year, Illinois native, Muhammad confirmed his withdrawal from a scheduled title defense against the undefeated, Rakhmonov, citing a bone infection in his foot, which will sideline him for at least six weeks.
Winning the crown at the end of July on enemy territory at UFC 304, Muhammad landed a one-sided unanimous decision win over two-time foe, Leon Edwards in the pair’s title rematch in Manchester.
And as for Rakhmonov, the Uzbekistan-born contender was slated to feature in his premiere title fight in the promotion, snapping a year-long hiatus following a prior submission win over common-foe and former title challenger, Stephen Thompson last December.
Shavkat Rakhmonov calls for interim title fight at UFC 310
With the promotion working to replace the undisputed welterweight title fight on the end-of-year flagship card, Rakhmonov has been vocal in his support of an interim title fight instead, drawing links to pairings with the likes of former gold holder, Kamaru Usman, as well as surging challengers, Ian Garry, and Jack Della Maddalena to name a few.
“Wishing Belal (Muhammad) a quick recovery,” Shavkat Rakhmonov posted on his official X account. “We’ll meet when you’re back at 100 percent. For now, I’m ready to take on any contender for the interim title at UFC 310.”
In the midst of a stunning eighteen fight unbeaten run in his professional mixed martial arts career, number three ranked welterweight, Shavkat Rakhmonov has turned in other notable wins over the likes of Geoff Neal, and perennial contender, Neil Magny during his brief tenure inside the Octagon.