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The MMA world received a hell of a jolt when it was announced that reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Belal Muhammad was forced to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December. It left the UFC in a sticky predicament. What should the promotion do for its final pay-per-view main event of the year now that its previously plans have been nixed? Plenty of thoughts and rumors have swirled, and those need to be addressed.
The UFC could move the co-main event to the top of the bill. After all, Alexandre Pantoja headlined UFC 301 the last time he defended his flyweight championship. However, UFC 301 followed two exceptionally stacked cards at UFC 299 and UFC 300, meaning the organization knew it was going to be on the short end of the stick for the follow-up event. Plus, UFC 301 was in Brazil, and the company wanted the card to be headlined by a Brazilian, leaving it short on options given that Alex Pereira, the only other Brazilian champion on the roster, had just barely rescued UFC 300.
That Pantoja doesn’t pique much interest with the casual fan makes it even less likely he gets promoted to the main event. Even more damaging to that case is opponent Kai Asakura, who is set to make his UFC debut. Asakura is quite a talent, but when there are hardcore fans who haven’t seen him fight before, it’s going to be a hard sell to put him in pay-per-view main event that doesn’t take place in Brazil.
There have also been rumors floating around that the aforementioned Pereira might save this card. The consensus top contender at light heavyweight, Magomed Ankalaev, has expressed a desire over social media to jump in on short notice. For his part, Pereira has sent cryptic messages indicating he might be interested. However, Pereira has participated in four title fight in the span of 11 months. Should he accept a fight with Ankalaev, that would be five title fights in the course of 13 months—the type of pace that could short-circuit a career. Rumor is the UFC isn’t interested in that fight happening this soon. From my perspective, I don’t blame the organization, not when there are still other options.
Just about all those other options include keeping Rakhmonov on the card—something the UFC seems to want to do. He has been in camp, owns an impeccable record and has finished every single one of his fights. He has everything the UFC wants in a star, except for the ability to speak English and a personality that connects with the casual fans. Hardcore fans love Rakhmonov, but the UFC already has its claws into them. The UFC recognizes Rakhmonov’s world-class talent and realizes he could reign at the top for a very long time. Hiding him away isn’t going to help. The UFC needs him out front as much as possible to help fans get to know him. Out of those who would be worth inserting into an interim title fight at 170 pounds, who would draw the most eyeballs?
Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry are two young, hungry lions many have discussed as potential future champions. However, neither of them will draw eyes, at least not yet. Della Maddalena prefers to let his fighting do the talking and Garry’s attempts at being the next Conor McGregor haven’t stuck in any way, as he comes across as more annoying than confident. Annoying can be good from a business perspective, but he doesn’t appear to be annoying enough for people to pay hard-earned cash to see him get throttled. He hasn’t come close to approaching Colby Covington levels yet.
Leon Edwards was the champion before Muhammad wrested the belt away from him, but he was the secondary attraction in all his title defenses. Sure, he was a bigger name than Muhammad, but Tom Aspinall in the co-main event was the real attraction at UFC 304; and Edwards was the B-side in his fights with Usman and Covington. Edwards doesn’t draw viewers, either. Besides, should he defeat Rakhmonov, does the UFC really want to set up a third fight between him and Muhammad? Sean Brady, another up-and-comer similar to Della Maddalena and Garry, runs into the same problem. He has a loss to Muhammad under his belt.
That leaves only one other option at 170 pounds, and he’s likely the least deserving option: Kamaru Usman. He was a long-reigning champion, securing five consecutive defenses before losing his title to Edwards via Hail Mary head kick knockout in the fifth round at UFC 278. His rivalry with Covington put the spotlight on the welterweight division in a way that it hadn’t been since the reign of Georges St. Pierre. He secured one of the all-time great highlight-reel knockouts when he blasted Jorge Masvidal in their rematch at UFC 261. He has the resume, name value and ability to draw eyeballs that would be beneficial to helping Rakhmonov become a UFC star.
With that said, Usman also hasn’t won a fight in three years. In fact, Usman has suffered three consecutive defeats: two to Edwards and another to Khamzat Chimaev. Being someone who wants to see the UFC operate as more of a sport and less of a business, I would much rather see someone who has won a fight in the last three years. Unfortunately, the business side of this can’t be ignored. If UFC 310 was a UFC Fight Night card, matchmakers would be able to get away with inserting an up-and-coming young buck on a serious winning streak into the spotlight. Given that this is a PPV, people will be more likely to hand out some premium cash to see a name they recognize, even if that name is less likely to be headlining PPVs going forward.
I also hate the idea of making an interim belt—Muhammad won the championship less than four months ago—but if that’s what would lure Usman to take the fight, the UFC should do it. Usman is the only logical option at this point. Matching Rakhmonov with Usman is the best fight for the present and future of the welterweight division. Sometimes, what’s best for everyone isn’t what’s most fair.