Kamaru Usman admits that UFC 310 may be too soon for him to compete.
Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the main event on December 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but Mohamed was forced out due to a bone injury in his foot.
Former UFC welterweight champion Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) has expressed interest in stepping in against Rakhmonov. He is currently in Colorado preparing in case he gets the call, and is confident in how he will fare against the unbeaten Rakhmonov.
However, Usman has a little problem regarding his fighting history.
“To be honest, I look at this fight, and I know it’s definitely a very winnable fight,” Usman said on his podcast “Pound 4 Pound” with Henry Cejudo. “And I know that I, of all people, can go there and uncover what has not been revealed in a hungry, scheming young man in Shavkat Rakhmonov.
“He’s very talented, he’s very good. But I see the holes, and I think I can exploit that when the time is right. But December 7 might be a little early for that time. So that’s where I’m at.”
The last time Usman competed was also on short notice. He stepped in to face another undefeated phenom in Khamzat Chimaev, pushing him over the brink in a majority decision loss at UFC 294 in October 2023. “The Nigerian Nightmare” is currently on a three-fight losing streak, with two of those losses coming way back to Lyon Edwards in title fights.
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