Shavkat Rakhmonov reacts to Belal Muhammad fighting Jack Della Maddalena next, sends a message to the UFC

Dana White made a big announcement on Wednesday night about several upcoming fights. Among the contests announced was Belal Muhammad's next fight, which surprisingly was not against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Muhammad will face Jack Della Maddalena for his first welterweight title defense at UFC 315 at Bell Centre In Montréal, Québec, Canada On May 10, 2025. The co-main event will feature Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot.

Muhammad had previously pulled out of his scheduled main event title fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 due to a bone infection in his leg. The condition was so adverse that the champion even considered amputation.

Rakhmonov faced Ian Machado Garry instead and won the fight via unanimous decision. Fans assumed the Kazakh fighter would be the next to challenge Muhammad for the belt because of his seven-fight win streak in the UFC and the canceled bout, and were surprised to be proven wrong.

However, it was nobody's fault that he missed the opportunity this time. White said in his announcement that Rakhmonov was suffering from an injury and would get his shot against the winner of Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena when he recovered.

Rakhmonov reacted to the news on X and shared a potential timeline for his UFC return:

"Big thanks to the UFC for offering me the shot at the belt first. Unfortunately, due to injury, I won't be ready for May. I'll be facing the winner later this year."

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Shavkat Rakhmonov allegedly fought at UFC 310 with an injury

Neither Dana White nor Shavkat Rakhmonov revealed the nature of the fighter's injury that kept him from fighting for the 170-pound title. However, there were rumors of him fighting in his previous outing with a pre-existing injury.

After Rakhmonov handed Ian Machado Garry the first loss of his career, Daniel Cormier revealed on his YouTube channel that he may have gone into the contest with a knee condition:

"I learned after, that [Shavkat Rakhmonov] fought with an injury. I think he tore his MCL going into that fight. With a torn ligament in your knee, you’re not going to look like the killer that you looked like in fights prior."

If Cormier's report was accurate, Rakhmonov may still be recovering from the knee injury.

Following the fight against Garry, Rakhmonov faced off with Belal Muhammad inside the octagon and the two shook hands in a show of mutual respect between potential future rivals.