Shavkat Rakhmonov’s title aspirations will have to be put on hold for now. He was set to fight champion Belal Muhammad for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 310 on December 7. A bone infection in his toe, which required surgical intervention, has forced ‘Remember the Name’ to withdraw from the title defense, leaving the challenger high, dry and waiting.
Rakhmonov, still wishing to still be part of the UFC 310 main card, is keen to know whom he would be paired with instead. He has already called out other fighters in the division for an interim title fight.
“Wishing Belal a quick recovery. We’ll meet when you’re back at 100%. For now, I’m ready to take on any contender for the interim title at #UFC310,” Rakhmonov wrote onTwitter
It is understandable why Rakhmonov does not want to wait around for the champion to come back. Remaining active and contesting will help him stay on the boil and focused by the time Muhammad returns.
At the moment, Belal remains in the hospital. The infection was so severe that it had to be operated on immediately. His road-to-recovery from the surgery would take at least six weeks, it has been estimated.
So, we can expect Muhammad to be ready for a fight early next year, latest.
Meanwhile, there is no dearth of quality fighters for Rakhmonov to take on. Many names have been thrown into the mix with Joaquin Buckley, Kamaru Usman, and Alex Pereira being the frontrunners.
Another interesting candidate would be the unbeaten Ian Garry, who has spoken about his desire to take Rakhmonov on in the past.
Garry wants to fight Rakhmonov at UFC 310
Garry is keen to cash in on the opportunity to feature in the main event at UFC 310.
Both the Irishman and Rakhmonov are unbeaten. After the news of Muhammad’s withdrawal came out, he posted a video saying:
“There’s Shavkat, 18-0 undefeated, I’d love to get my hands on him, I’ve trained with him, I have nothing but respect for the guy, but I want to be the first guy to take his 0 and I know I can do it.”
For Gerry, it is a mouthwatering proposition — a chance to end someone else’s unbeaten record, get an interim title, and catapult himself as a title contender as well.
Garry is definitely en route to a title shot, and was possibly just one bout away from getting his due. A dance in the Octagon with Rakhmonov could be all he needs to make his mark.
