Kamaru Usman provides major update on rumored Shavkat Rakhmonov fight at UFC 310
Kamaru Usman vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov could happen one day, but it won’t be held on the UFC 310 card.
Rakhmonov was scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the UFC Welterweight Championship on December 7th. Muhammad was forced out of the bout due to a bone infection in his foot. The title fight was going to headline UFC 310 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While Muhammad has insisted that he’ll recover in a matter of weeks, Rakhmonov has been pounding the table for an interim title fight.
Kamaru Usman Pours Cold Water on UFC 310 Fight Rumors
Kamaru Usman, who is a former UFC welterweight champion, threw his name in the hat as a potential opponent for Shavkat Rakhmonov to face. Rumors had even surfaced claiming the fight was in the works for UFC 310.
Taking to the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, “The Nigerian Nightmare” revealed that he will not be stepping inside the Octagon for the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view.
“To be honest, it’s a fight that I’ve looked at and I know it’s definitely a very, very winnable fight and I know that I can, of all people, go out there and expose what hasn’t been exposed in a young, hungry, streaking guy in Shavkat Rakhmonov. He’s very talented and very, very good, but I do see the holes and I think that I can exploit that when that time is right, but December 7th might be a little too early for that time,” Usman said.
It’s unclear if the UFC will find a replacement opponent for Rakhmonov. It’s possible that the promotion could feel confident in Belal Muhammad’s comeback trajectory and have Rakhmonov wait for another event to get his title shot.
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