Muhammad to defend UFC title vs. Rakhmanov

Belal Muhammad (24-3) will make his first defense of the welterweight championship against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmanov in the main event of UFC 310 on December 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Muhammad, 36, most recently won the 170-pound title at UFC 304 in July by defeating Leon Edwards via unanimous decision. His first test as champion will be against a man with a 100% finish rate.

Rakhmanov, 29, is the UFC's No. 3-ranked welterweight and all of his wins have come by knockout or submission. Rakhmanov is coming off a submission win over Stephen Thompson in December 2023.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the main event on social media and revealed the co-main event, which will see flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoza defend his championship against Kai Asakura.

Asakura, 30, will get a UFC title shot in his debut with the promotion. The 34-year-old Pantoja will attempt to defend his title for the third time. In his most recent outing, the Brazilian defeated Steve Erceg to retain the title at UFC 301 in May. Pantoja (28-5) is currently riding a six-fight winning streak.

The UFC signed Asakura in June after a long tenure with RIZIN, where he was the promotion's bantamweight champion. He entered the UFC with a pro record of 21-4.

White announced the return of Nick Diaz (26-10), who will face Vicente Luke (22-10-1). This will be Diaz's first fight since a stoppage loss to Robbie Lawler in September 2021. The promotion tried to put together an August fight in Abu Dhabi, but Diaz pulled out due to “travel-related issues”.