'I'm happy there's no interim belt'… Belal Muhammad reacts to a chaotic few weeks in his division after UFC 310 withdrawal
11/23/2024 05:14 AM
It's been a rather chaotic few weeks for the welterweight division, with the title fight headlining UFC 310 falling through before a series of major changes were made to the current fight schedule.
Luckily, the promotion has been able to make the most out of a tough situation, with four top contenders now scheduled to face each other in Belal Muhammad's absence over the course of just 7 days.
Welterweights change dance partners for final two UFC cards of 2024
If you haven't kept up with what's been going on in the UFC welterweight division of late, the recent storyline of 170lbs can be broken down into three parts.
First, champion Belal Muhammad withdrew from his UFC 310 main event title fight against #3 ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov after suffering a painful bone infection in his foot: with a host of contenders raising their hands as potential replacements.
Second, #7 Ian Machado Garry vs #9 Joaquin Buckley was then made for the main event of UFC Tampa, before the promotion decided to move 'The Future' to UFC 310 in order to keep Rakhmonov on that final PPV card.
Third, former interim champion and #6 ranked Colby 'Chaos' Covington accepted a fight contract to face Buckley in Tampa, meaning that the two final events of 2024 will feature Garry vs Rakhmonov (UFC 310 co-main) and Buckley vs Covington (UFC Tampa main).
Belal Muhammad reacts to Ian Machado Garry vs Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310
Given the nature of Muhammad's UFC 310 withdrawal, fans were quick to suggest that the undefeated Rakhmonov should stay on the PPV card and fight for an interim title belt.
That hasn't come to fruition and "honestly, I'm happy that there was no interim belt," admitted Muhammad on the latest episode of 'Remember The Show' podcast, explaining how "I didn't think it was needed.
"But yeah, I think the matchup makes a lot of sense when you look at the division… It made more sense than Buckley and Ian Garry.
"I think Shavkat and Ian Garry, both undefeated, both guys that are right there at the top, and they have both called each other out before. It makes a lot of sense, and I'm excited to see how it goes."
Whilst Muhammad is content with how the chaotic title picture has turned out, he did admit that it's been a tough few weeks as he starts his long road to recovery.
"It's been a hard, difficult three weeks… The doctor [just] gave me clearance, he said the toe looks good, and the wound is fully closed, so I started jogging on it.
"The only thing is that I got 10 days left of the antibiotics, so on Dec. 1 the PICC line comes out, and we're all systems go. Now I can see the finish line. It feels so good."
UFC 310 is scheduled for December 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, whilst UFC on ESPN: Covington vs Buckley goes down one week later on December 14 – we expect Muhammad to be sitting cageside for at least one, if not both of those events.
