Michael Bisping wants to see a ‘forgotten’ fighter return at UFC 310.
Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was supposed to make the first defense of his title against 18-0 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov in Las Vegas on December 7.
Unfortunately, Muhammad has been forced out of the bout after contracting a bone infection that caused one of his toes to swell in a gruesome manner.
Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card, but it’s currently unclear if the UFC will be able to find an opponent to face him during their final pay-per-view show of the year.
Michael Bisping wants to see ex-champion return at UFC 310
Bisping believes Leon Edwards is the ideal man to fight Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
‘The Count’ feels his fellow Englishman has been cast aside since losing his title to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July, even though he’s still one of the best 170lb fighters in MMA.
“I’ve got zero inside scoop,” TNT Sports pundit Michael Bisping said during an exclusive interview with BloodyElbow.com.
“As of right now, the main event is [Alexandre] Pantoja vs Kai Asakura. It’s a pretty good fight card top to bottom when you go through it, but it would be nice to see a replacement.
“[Kamaru] Usman would be tremendous. I think Usman’s loss to Khamzat [Chimaev] has aged really well when you look at what Khamzat did to Robert Whittaker.
“There’s also another guy and it’s probably too short notice [for] Leon Edwards. Leon Edwards has been forgotten in all of this conversation. As I say, it’s only four or five weeks away, so it’s probably too short notice.
“If you’re Leon Edwards, you step in, you be the co-main event on a pay-per-view, you fight Shavkat Rakmanhov, 18-0, all finishes. That’s a compelling fight, it would sell a lot of pay-per-views.
“If Leon can do it, he’s right back in there for a rematch with Belal Muhammad. And if Shavkat beats Leon, they just continue with that fight for March, April, or whenever it’s gonna take place.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov prefers Kamaru Usman fight
Rakhmonov says he’s ready and willing to save UFC 310, but only if he’s given the chance to face another top contender for an interim title.
The fighter from Kazakhstan believes a clash with Usman makes sense.
“I believe there are worthy opponents available,” Rakhmonov told Ariel Helwani through an interpreter on Tuesday. “I’m ready to save the card too if it’s for the interim belt. I believe Usman is a worthy opponent who’s going to be ready to jump in to face me.”
Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, believes Usman has been offered the fight with his client – but he’s unsure if Edwards or anyone else is also in the running.
“Right now, negotiations are going on,” Abdrakhmanov said. “Obviously there’s talking. I don’t know if they are talking to someone else, but I’m sure they offered it to Kamaru, too.”
Muhammad doesn’t believe an interim should be created as he claims it will take him just six weeks to recover from his injury. However, his opponent believes the champion could be sidelined for considerably longer.
“We don’t know when Belal is going to be back,” Rakhmonov said. “These kind of injuries, infections, they might say it’s six weeks, but look at JDM [Jack Della Maddalena], it took him a lot longer.
“It’s good for Belal, too, because it’s going to make the fight bigger. It’s going to be champ vs. champ, so whenever Belal is ready after I secure the interim title, I’m going to fight him.”
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