Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad is likely out of the UFC 310 main event against Shavkat Rakhmonov due to a bone infection in his foot, which the fighter posted about on X on Thursday.
Muhammad added he cannot do any physical activity for six weeks, which would put his participation in the Dec. 7 in Las Vegas in serious doubt, although no official word has come from UFC.
Muhammad, 36, became the organization’s 170-pound champion in July when he defeated Leon Edwards by unanimous decision at UFC 304 in England. UFC 310 was going to be his first shot at a title defence.
Muhammad holds a 24-3-0 (1 NC) record in the UFC and is on an 11-fight unbeaten streak.
Rakhmonov is 18-0 in mixed martial arts with 18 finishes. The 30-year-old Kazakh is 6-0 in the UFC coming off a submission win over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson 10 months ago.