Two title fights will get top billing at UFC 310 on Dec. 7.
UFC CEO Dana White announced Saturday that a welterweight title tilt between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov will serve as the evening’s main event, whileAlexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight crown against Kai Asakura in the co-headliner. UFC 310 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and marks the promotion’s final pay-per-view offering of 2024.
White also confirmed that a welterweight clash pitting Nick Diaz against Vicente Luque and a heavyweight showdown between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov have been rebooked for the event.
Muhammad is unbeaten in his last 11 Octagon appearances dating back to April 13, 2019. He claimed 170-pound gold with a unanimous decision triumph against Leon Edwards at UFC 304 on July 27. “Remember the Name” also owns notable wins over the likes of Gilbert Burns, Sean Brady, Luque, Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia, to name a few.
Rakhmonov, meanwhile, has yet to taste defeat in 18 professional outings. The 29-year-old Kazkhstan native has kicked off his promotional tenure with six straight triumphs and is coming off a second-round submission of Thompson at UFC 296 last December.
Pantoja has defended the flyweight strap twice since claiming the belt with a split-decision triumph over Brandon Moreno at UFC 290. The Brazilian known as “The Cannibal” outpointed Brandon Royval at UFC 296 in his first 125-pound title defense before taking a five-round verdict against Steve Erceg at UFC 301 on May 4. The 34-year-old American Top Team representative has won six straight UFC appearances overall.
Asakura will get a title shot in his promotional debut after making his name under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner. The Japan Top Team product has gone 13-3 under the Rizin banner since 2017, earning wins over the likes of Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Juan Archuleta, among others.