Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310 Main Event with Gruesome Bone ...
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The UFC 310 main event featuring Belal Muhammad defending the welterweight title against Shavkhat Rakhmonov has been removed from the card due to a bone infection in Muhammad's left foot.
Muhammad announced he can't do any physical activity for the next six weeks after being hospitalized to receive antibiotics through an IV and posted an image of the toe in his foot that had the infection.
Caught a bone infection in my foot .. had to put a picc line in my arm for iv antibiotics the next 6 weeks with no physical activity … Allahs plan is the best plan I'm sorry to everyone that were coming to see me Ill be back soon inshAllah <a href="https://t.co/xbXj2B8Szy">pic.twitter.com/xbXj2B8Szy</a>
Belal Muhammad shared images of the bone infection in his foot that forced him to withdraw from his title fight at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFC310?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFC310</a> in December. <a href="https://t.co/glhVdCHUUS">pic.twitter.com/glhVdCHUUS</a>
Mike Heck of MMAFighting.com reported UFC is seeking a replacement opponent for Rakhmonov, but it's unclear if the bout would be added to the UFC 310 card or moved to a later date.
It's also unclear if a replacement bout would be for the interim welterweight title.
As things currently stand, the main event for the Dec. 7 show at T-Mobile Arena will feature Alexandre Pantoja defending the flyweight championship against Kai Asakura.
Six weeks with no physical activity means the earliest Muhammad could start training camp for a fight is mid-December. If you factor in the usual six-to-eight week timeline for a camp, his return bout could happen in late January or early February.
A potential replacement bout for Rakhmonov would come with significant risk because if he loses, it would likely cost him a shot against Muhammad for the title. The 30-year-old is a perfect 18-0 in his mixed martial arts career with all of his wins coming via stoppage (eight knockouts, 10 submissions).
Rakhmonov hasn't fought since beating Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 in December 2023. He told Heck in August that UFC offered him a title shot earlier in the year against Muhammad, but the champion declined the proposed October date because he didn't feel like he had enough time to properly train.
Muhammad was set to make his first defense of the welterweight championship against Rakhmonov. He won the title by defeating Leon Edwards via unanimous decision at UFC 304 on July 27.
It was the first loss for Edwards since December 2015 against Kamaru Usman. Muhammad is unbeaten in his last 11 bouts dating back to 2019 and owns a 24-3-1 overall record in 28 bouts.
