The UFC welterweight champion, American of Palestinian descent Belal Muhammad (24-3), explained his refusal to fight the Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0), as reported by Vesti.kz.
Their match was scheduled for December 8 in Las Vegas, but Belal contracted an infection, leading to the fight's cancellation.
"I caught a bone infection in my foot... I will have to treat it with antibiotics for the next six weeks without physical activity," Muhammad noted.