Ex-Champ Reportedly Targeted as Replacement for Belal Muhammad at UFC 310

"Remember the Name" was scheduled to make his first title defense at UFC 310.

Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

One of the welterweight division’s biggest names might be stepping in at UFC 310 after Belal Muhammad withdrew from the card's main event.

Kamaru Usman vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov?

Set to take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on December 7, UFC 310 was originally supposed to be headlined by a welterweight title bout between recently-crowned champion Muhammad and #3-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Belal Muhammad Confirms UFC 310 Withdrawal with Gruesome Update

The fight represented a fairly quick turnaround for Muhammad after he claimed the title with a five-round decision against Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July, but late last month “Remember the Name” announced that he’d been forced to withdraw from his first title defense due to a bone infection in
his foot.

Belal Muhammad works for a submission against Leon Edwards of Jamaica at Co-op Live on July 28, 2024 in Manchester, England. / (Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Losing the main event was a significant blow to the UFC’s final PPV event of the year even with a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura scheduled as the co-main, but now Red Corner MMA reports that former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman may step in to face Rakhmonov on December 7.

One of the most successful welterweight champions in UFC history, Usman claimed the division’s title from Tyron Woodley in 2019 and went on to defend it five times before being stopped by a last-minute head kick from Edwards at UFC 278.

Mar 18, 2023; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights Kamaru Usman (blue gloves) during UFC 286 at O2 Arena. / Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was given an immediate chance to reclaim his belt against Edwards at UFC 286 but lost a majority decision, and fans last saw Usman in the cage when he moved up to middleweight for a short-notice bout with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 where he also fell short on the scorecards.

Jon Jones Explains Disinterest in Tom Aspinall Fight Ahead of UFC 309

It’s unclear at this time if an Usman vs. Rakhmonov matchup at UFC 310 would be for an interim title or not, but after suffering three-straight losses the fight would present a huge opportunity for the former champion to get back on track by potentially handing “Nomad” the first loss of his career.

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