Shavkat Rakhmonov Reveals 3 Fighters He Was Offered at UFC 310

Shavkat Rakhmonov says Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington and Carlos Prates were proposed as opponents for UFC 310.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov has cleared the air on what's going on in the UFC Welterweight division.

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After weeks of waiting on a replacement opponent for the injured Belal Muhammad, someone finally came through - the #7-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry. Signed, sealed and delivered is the new co-main event of UFC 310 in Las Vegas this Saturday with Rakhmonov revealing Garry wasn't the only offer on the table.

18 have tried and 18 have failed 👀@Rakhmonov1994 aims to stay perfect when he fights at #UFC310!

[ LIVE DEC 7 on @ESPNPlus PPV | 10pmET ] pic.twitter.com/TYe5V3I8hS

— UFC (@ufc) December 2, 2024

Rakhmonov Says Usman & Covington Rejected UFC 310 Fight

There was much speculation on the possibility of Kamaru Usman stepping in to fight the 18-0 Rakhmonov on short notice, though that wouldn't be the case, nor would it be for Colby Covington, who claimed he'd fight Rakhmonov if the UFC gave him the call just weeks ago.

"I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman, but he didn't accept the fight," Rakhmonov told Submission Radio. "Also, they offered [Carlos] Prates, but he was injured. Colby Covington, he rejected the fight. I'm very happy that Ian Garry accepted the fight."

Surging contender Carlos Prates was an unexpected name in the mix, riding massive momentum with 4 KOs in 2024, his last over perennial contender Neil Magny in November. UFC CEO Dana White teased in an interview with Kevin Iole weeks ago that the promotion had big plans for Prates but a broken foot puts the Brazilian on hold for now. Prates still wanted to fight despite the injury.

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Usman Initially Accepted?

Circling back to Kamaru Usman, Rakhmonov says he doesn't know why the former champ didn't end up taking the fight - especially with a title shot on the line against new champ Belal Muhammad.

"In the beginning, he accepted the fight, but then rejected," Rakhmonov said of Usman. "Maybe he didn't want to risk. Of course, he doesn't want to lose.

"I don't care about Colby, but, yes, I offered him to fight me," Rakhmonov added. "But he was just talking. When it came to business, he rejected— disappeared."

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Colby Covington now fights Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Tampa a week after Rakhmonov, under fire from heated rival Ian Machado Garry for not fighting him instead.

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