Belal Muhammad to defend title vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310

Belal Muhammad (24-3) is set to defend his welterweight championship for the first time against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in the main event of UFC 310, scheduled for December 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Muhammad, 36, secured the 170-pound title by defeating Leon Edwards via unanimous decision at UFC 304 in July. His inaugural title defense will be against a competitor boasting a 100% finishing rate. Rakhmonov, 29, currently ranks No. 3 in the UFC welterweight division and holds an unblemished record of 18-0, with all victories achieved by knockout or submission. He is coming off a submission win against Stephen Thompson in December 2023.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the main event on social media, also revealing the co-main event, which will feature flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his title against Kai Asakura. Asakura, 30, will be making his UFC debut with this title shot. Pantoja, 34, aims to defend his championship for the third time, having recently defeated Steve Erceg to retain the title at UFC 301 in May. Pantoja (28-5) is currently on a six-fight winning streak. The UFC signed Asakura in June following a successful tenure in Rizin, where he held the bantamweight championship, entering the UFC with a professional record of 21-4. White also announced the return of Nick Diaz (26-10), who will face Vicente Luque (22-10-1). This will mark Diaz's first fight since his stoppage loss to Robbie Lawler in September 2021. The promotion had previously attempted to schedule this bout for August in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but Diaz was unable to participate due to a "travel issue."