Belal Muhammad (foot) won't defend title at UFC 310

Field Level Media|published: 10/31/2024, 12:57pm EDT

May 6, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Belal Muhammad (red gloves) fights Gilbert Burns (blue gloves) during UFC 288 at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will not defend his title at UFC 310 due to a bone infection in his left foot.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) posted about his condition Thursday on social media, saying the recovery requires intravenous antibiotics and an avoidance of physical activity for six weeks.

"Allah's plan is the best plan I'm sorry to everyone that were coming to see me (I'll) be back soon," he wrote on X.

Muhammad, 36, was supposed to meet Shavkhat Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the main event at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Dec. 7.

It would have been his first title defense after winning the welterweight belt from Leon Edwards in a unanimous decision at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, in July.

The UFC has not announced whether Rakhmonov, 30, will remain on the card with a different opponent.

--Field Level Media