Welterweight champ Belal Muhammad takes on Shavkat Rakhmonov at UCF 310

Field Level Media|published: Sat 12th October, 17:42 2024

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's first title defense will be against unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov as part of a UFC championship doubleheader on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.

UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena also will feature in the co-main event Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil defending his flyweight title against Japan's Kai Asakura, UFC announced on social media on Saturday.

Muhammad (24-3, 1 no contest) had unseated 170-pound champion Leon Edwards by unanimous decision on July 27 at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. It was a rematch of a no contest on March 13, 2021 when Edwards accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye.

Two belts. One epic night ??@BullyB170 vs @Rakhmonov1994 @PantojaMMA vs @Kai_1031_

[ #UFC310 is LIVE from Las Vegas ] pic.twitter.com/gYvanKPn1u
— UFC (@ufc) October 12, 2024

The 36-year-old Muhammad is facing a younger fighter with a 100 percent finishing rate in 29-yearold Rakhmonov (18-0) of Kazakhstan. With eight knockouts and 10 submission victories, Rakhmonov will be fighting about a year since his last bout, a Dec. 15, 2023 win by submission over Stephen Thompson.

Pantoja (28-5) has won six consecutive fights. The 34-year-old is making his third title defense against a UFC newcomer in Asakura, 30, who signed in June after a successful run with Rizin, where he was a two-time bantamweight champion at 21-4.

Undercard bouts include heavyweights Ciryl Gane against Alexander Volkov, and the return of American Nick Diaz, 41, against Brazil's Vicente Luque (22-10-1), which was rescheduled from Aug. 3. Diaz (26-10, two NC) has not fought since losing by stoppage to Robbie Lawler on Sept. 25, 2021. Luque, 32, is 1-3 is his last four bouts.

--Field Level Media