It's time to face the consequences of death wishes. Who will Rahmonov fight after the cancellation of his match against the UFC champion?

The top Kazakh welterweight (18-0) has lost his title shot opportunity. However, his participation in the tournament scheduled for December 8 in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) is still possible. Our correspondent discusses potential opponents for Rakhmonov.

Shavkat Rakhmonov UFC 310 Vesti.kz

The welterweight division is filled with stars without announced fights. Starting with the former champion (22-4-0-1), who just lost a decision (24-3-0-1) last summer and relinquished his title. But if we were to select the three most likely opponents for Shavkat, Leon is unlikely to make this shortlist.

Leon Edwards Belal Muhammad

He is not the type of fighter who will step in on short notice. Moreover, he is still the number one contender, and Shavkat poses a significant challenge for him. Therefore, we have other contenders on our list.

First and foremost, there is another former champion of the promotion - Nigerian (20-4). The 37-year-old fighter remained one of Shavkat's competitors for a title shot even after three consecutive losses. He hasn't fought in a year and clearly wants to prove that he can still compete at the highest level.

Post from Leon "Rocky" Edwards (@leonedwardsmma) Kamaru Usman

Especially since after his recent performance (14-0), many have talked about Usman's level. A year ago, he stepped in on nine days' notice as a replacement against Chimaev in the middleweight category. Ultimately, the Nigerian put up a serious fight against Borz. Meanwhile, recently Chimaev faced a natural middleweight, former champion of the division (26-8). He went through the entire camp but didn't last a round with Khamzat.

Khamzat Chimaev Robert Whittaker

After that, many mentioned that it was too early to count Usman out, and he is indeed strong. Well, perhaps in light of these discussions, Kamaru might personally save the tournament for Shavkat?

The second option is the Australian (17-2). If Usman holds the second spot in the rankings, right next to Shavkat (3), then Maddalena is just one rank below (4). He has repeatedly expressed his desire to fight the Kazakh.

Post from KAMARU USMAN (@usman84kg) Jack Della Maddalena

In the summer, it seemed this fight was inevitable, but ultimately Jack was not ready due to health issues. Now he has another opportunity to fight his dream opponent. But will he agree, considering there are only five weeks left until the tournament? Plus, he would still need to travel from Australia to the USA if he decides to take this matchup.

Almost the most likely option is the ninth-ranked American (20-6). This is a big opportunity for him, as he has often expressed his desire to fight Shavkat and even tried to provoke him with comments about his mother.

Post from BANDFIT (@bandfit) Joaquin Buckley insult him

He has even wished death upon the Kazakh:

He has nothing to lose, as he is much lower in the rankings. This is his chance to become a big star. Moreover, being American, he won't have to deal with acclimatization - he just needs to accept the fight and be ready by December 8 without injuries.

Post from Joaquin "New Mansa" Buckley (@newmansa94) Post from Fightstars (@fightstars.mma)

We are left waiting for official news from UFC and Shavkat's team. Of course, we hope he gets to fight for the title soon. On the other hand, in December it will be a year since he last stepped into the octagon, and we hope this hiatus doesn't extend any longer.

Rakhmonov vs. Muhammad title fight in UFC canceled: details