Belal Muhammad won’t be defending his welterweight title before the end of 2024.
The current UFC Welterweight Champion announced Thursday that he has suffered a bone infection, forcing him out of a December 7th bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310. News of the bout’s cancellation has also been reported by Al Zullino.
“Caught a bone infection in my foot,” Muhammad wrote on Instagram, with a gruesome photo of the injury attached. “Had to put a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) in my arm for IV antibiotics and the next 6 weeks [will be] with no physical activity. Allah’s plan is the best plan I’m sorry to everyone that were coming to see me, I’ll be back soon. Inshallah.”
The latest development pulls Muhammad from what was expected to be his first appearance since capturing the welterweight title earlier this year and calls into question what will headline UFC’s final pay-per-view card before 2025.
Muhammad captured UFC’s 170-pound division belt in July, overcoming Leon Edwards in a five-round unanimous decision result. The victory extended a lengthy run of wins for Muhammad, with prior performances coming against respected names like Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.
The upcoming fight was expected to be Rakhmonov’s first title shot since entering the UFC roster in 2020. The 18-fight undefeated Kazakhstan-based fighter has become one of the top welterweight contenders over the past few years, scoring a long string of finish wins to become the division’s third-ranked talent.
It’s unclear at the moment if Rakhmonov will remain on the card with a new matchup, whether it be an interim title fight or a clash outside of the title picture. UFC 310 notably also has a flyweight title bout between Alexandre Pantoja and former RIZIN champ Kai Asakura, which could be elevated to the main event if needed.
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