Friday03 January 2025
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Will he lose his status? The cancellation of the title fight has hit Rakhmonov hard in the UFC.

The cancellation of the fight between Belal Muhammad (24-3-0-1) and Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0) would result in the Kazakh fighter missing out on the biggest event of his career. Even if another fighter steps in to replace the champion who had to withdraw due to an infection, the matchup won't carry the same significance. For more details, read the article by the correspondent from Vesti.kz.
Потеряет ли он статус? Отмена боя за титул чемпиона UFC поразила Рахмонова.

The cancellation of the fight between (24-3-0-1) and (18-0) will result in the Kazakh fighter missing out on the biggest event of his career. Even if another fighter steps in to replace the champion who withdrew due to an infection, their matchup won't carry the same prestige. More details on this can be found in the article by the correspondent.

Belal Muhammad Shavkat Rakhmonov Vesti.kz

The championship fight in the welterweight division was scheduled to take place on December 8 at the event in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA). Moreover, their bout was supposed to headline the last numbered event of 2024. However, this is no longer destined to happen.

UFC 310

It remains unclear whether Rakhmonov will keep the fight on this date, as it is crucial for him not to remain inactive, especially considering he hasn't fought since mid-December of last year. If he spends all of 2024 without a match, it would be a significant setback for his career.

If the UFC can find a worthy replacement, their bout will still not be as unique for Shavkat. This is primarily due to the fact that this could have been his first main event (the headline fight of the event) in the UFC.

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Post by UFC Eurasia (@ufceurasia)

However, without Belal, their fight will not retain this status, as there will be another title fight on the card - in the flyweight division between (28-5) and (21-4). Therefore, this matchup will be rated higher than Shavkat's fight, regardless of who becomes his new opponent.

Alexandre Pantoja Kai Asakura

Even if a bout for an interim title is arranged for Shavkat, logically, the championship belt in the flyweight division should hold a higher status, as it is for the main title, whereas this one is merely interim. However, we know that the UFC operates as a business machine, and not everything is determined by logic. Thus, we should leave some possibility that a fight for the interim title at 77 kilograms may somehow be seen as more prestigious than a title fight at 57 kilograms. After all, the flyweight division does not attract much viewer interest.

If the fight occurs without any title status, not even an interim one, Shavkat will also lose his first career fight scheduled for five rounds. Prior to this, all his fights in the UFC have been three-round affairs. Nevertheless, he has not allowed anyone to reach a judges' decision.

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Additionally, the UFC is currently searching for a star pair of fighters to clash in the main event of the evening. Rumors suggest that the headliners of the event might be light heavyweights (12-2) and (19-1-1-1).

Alex Pereira Magomed Ankalaev

If the promotion successfully organizes such a fight, it will become the new main event for UFC 310. And if Shavkat is assigned a standard ranking fight amid all this, he will, at best, compete in the third most significant bout, or he might even find himself at the beginning of the main card, as the overall lineup for the tournament is quite strong.

We await official information and hope that the UFC still arranges a high-profile alternative fight for Shavkat.