Welterweight title contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is still hoping he can still front the UFC 310 card in Las Vegas on December 7th after current champion Belal Muhammad pulled out due to a bone infection, and he thinks an interim title fight with Kamaru Usman is the way to go.
“I believe there are worthy opponents available,” Rakhmonov said on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’. “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 then went on to suggest that the UFC may well like that option too.
“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.”
As a former divisional kingpin, Usman would no doubt welcome the idea of getting an interim title opportunity, and he is still ranked No.2 at 170lbs, just one place above Rakhmonov.
However, Usman is on a three-fight losing slump, including back-to-back losses against Leon Edwards, in addition to a split-decision defeat against Khamzat Chimaev at 185lbs a year ago, so some might question whether he should get a title chance at this stage.
And beyond that, current champion Muhammad has argued that there’s no need to have an interim title on the line as he only expects to be out for around six weeks.
However, Rakhmonov is sceptical about how long that injury layoff is really going to be, so he’s continuing to push for a title to be on the line if he’s to headline UFC 310.
“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.”
