Kamaru Usman has addressed rumors that he could fight 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 has caused one of his toes to swell in a gruesome manner.
Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card in an interim title fight, and it appears that the UFC is currently searching for an opponent worthy of facing him.
Kamaru Usman is ready to fight at UFC 310
Kamaru Usman is rumored to be the frontrunner to fill in against Rakhmonov.
However, the former welterweight champion insists that no one from the UFC has been in touch with him about replacing Muhammad on the final pay-per-view show of the year.
If they do, Usman insists he will happily answer the call after previously taking short-notice fights against Jorge Masvidal and Khamzat Chimaev.
Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast he shares with Henery Cejudo: “The UFC is gonna call who they think is gonna be legit, tough enough, man enough and crazy enough to step in there on short notice and go out there and possibly shock the world.
“Definitely, the UFC know who to call when that situation happens. And if they do give me a call, I’m gonna answer the call, get a couple things straight and if we’ve got to do it, we’ve got to do it.
“I don’t shy away from any of that. I’ve done it on six days’ notice. I’ve done it on eight days’ notice.
“Hey, it’s only a couple of weeks’ notice, but it is what it is.”
Michael Bisping has another idea for UFC 310
Rakhmonov is on record saying Usman is the man he wants to face next, but while nothing is set in stone people will continue to put forward their favorite fighters.
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping is no different. ‘The Count’ recently told Bloody Elbow that while he’d be happy to see Usman step in, he’d prefer to see Leon Edwards take on Rakhmonov next month.
‘Rocky’ has gone quiet since losing his title to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July, and Bisping wants him to remind the world that he’s still one of the best 170lb fighters on the planet.
He said: “I’ve got zero inside scoop. 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.
“Usman would be tremendous. I think Usman’s loss to Khamzat 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.”