UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad is reportedly out of his scheduled title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
Muhammad completed his ascent to the mountaintop at 170 pounds this past July in Manchester, England, where he upset the odds to get the better of Leon Edwards across five rounds in their rematch.
Eager to be active and face the toughest tests available to him, "Remember the Name" welcomed the challenge of undefeated phenom Rakhmonov. The promotion obliged, booking the pair to headline the UFC 310 pay-per-view in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.
On Wednesday, however, rumors began to circulate of a possible cancellation. Australian MMA insider @Bendaman2001 — who broke news of Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from the Saudi Arabia UFC Fight Night this past June — was the first to suggest an issue with the UFC 310 headliner.
A more definitive report later came from longtime MMA media figure Al Zullino, who noted that the UFC is actively searching for a replacement fight to headline the final numbered card of 2024.
Should this news be confirmed, it'll mark a setback in Rakhmonov's title ambitions. The Kazakh fighter earned his opportunity with a 6-0 run since signing with the UFC back in 2020 off the back of championship success in M-1 Global.
It remains to be seen whether "Nomad" will remain on the UFC 310 card and face another top contender or patiently await a rescheduled clash with Muhammad in 2025.
This marks the latest blow to the Dec. 7 event, which already lost a crucial strawweight clash between the highly regarded Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba.
The lineup does still boast a title fight, though, with flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja set to welcome former Rizin champ Kai Asakura to the UFC in defense of his gold.