5 fighters who have been forced out of UFC 310
The final pay-per-view of 2024 goes down next weekend in the form of UFC 310. Unfortunately, the event has already taken a few knocks.
UFC 310 undoubtedly has a loaded card, but the event has also seen numerous fighters withdraw for various reasons.
More importantly, a number of these fighters - including one headliner - would've given the event a lot more star power, making this one of the more cursed cards of 2024.
Here are five fighters who have been forced out of UFC 310.
#5. Talisson Teixeira - UFC heavyweight contender
While he isn't a household name, the debut of heavyweight newcomer Talisson Teixeira was still one of the more intriguing things on the undercard of UFC 310.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian has now withdrawn from the event due to an undisclosed injury, with Kennedy Nzechukwu now fighting Lukasz Brzeski in his place.
This means that people will have to wait until some time in 2025 to see the 6ft 7in heavyweight in action, something that will be frustrating to fans of Dana White's Contender Series.
Teixeira earned his contract there in style by dispatching opponent Arthur Lopes via KO in just under two minutes. The knockout, which saw 'Xicao' put his foe down with a brutal right hand, drew an audible reaction from White.
It was also the Brazilian's seventh first-round finish, and at the age of just 24, it appears that he has plenty of potential.
Unfortunately, fans won't get to see that potential in Las Vegas next weekend.
#4. Martin Buday - UFC heavyweight contender
Newcomer Talisson Teixeira is not the only heavyweight to pull out of UFC 310. Last week, it was also confirmed that Slovakia's Martin Buday had been forced off the card due to an undisclosed injury.
Buday's fight with newcomer Rizvan Kuniev was probably the bout with the least star power on the card, but it was still one that looked very intriguing.
After all, Buday's octagon record currently stands at an impressive 5-1, with his only loss coming to Shamil Gaziev.
A win here might've propelled him into the top 15, although he'd have needed to perform better than he did in his win over Andrei Arlovski for that to happen.
Kuniev, meanwhile, was all set to make his octagon debut after a win on Dana White's Contender Series. Prior to that, the Dagestani had made a name for himself in the PFL in 2023 by beating Renan Ferreira, although the result was overturned due to a drug test.
With this bout now scrapped from UFC 310 altogether, the likely outcome is that the promotion will keep the pairing together and re-book it in early 2025. If that's the case, then it should be a fight to keep a close eye on.
#3. Tatiana Suarez - UFC strawweight contender
It's probably fair to say that few fighters in the UFC in recent years have felt the injury curse quite so badly as Tatiana Suarez.
Still unbeaten in MMA at 10-0, the TUF 23 winner has beaten the likes of Alexa Grasso, Jessica Andrade and Carla Esparza during her octagon career. Realistically, nobody's even tested her yet.
However, largely due to a serious neck injury, Suarez spent the best part of four years on the shelf between 2019 and 2023, completely arresting her momentum.
2023 saw Suarez return in a big way with her wins over Andrade and Montana de la Rosa, and officially, she's the No.1 contender at 115 pounds.
However, due to more injury issues, she's yet to compete this year, and October saw her forced out of her planned bout at UFC 310 against Virna Jandiroba.
The fight would likely have decided the next challenger for Weili Zhang's throne, and given that Jandiroba has also been removed from the event, it feels like UFC 310's loss will be 2025's gain.
With any hope, this will also be the final time Suarez is hit by the injury bug.
#2. Nick Diaz - UFC welterweight contender
While his aura has arguably been eclipsed at this stage by his younger brother Nate, even at the age of 41, Nick Diaz still undoubtedly has a star power unmatched by most of the UFC roster.
That's why, despite having not fought since a horrendous one-sided loss to Robbie Lawler in 2021, it was a big deal for him to be booked to fight Vicente Luque at next weekend's event.
Unfortunately, that fight will no longer be happening on the card. More to the point, the reasons for Diaz's withdrawal have brought into question whether he will ever fight again.
The Stockton-based brawler is not officially injured. Instead, he was withdrawn from the fight for unknown reasons.
However, many fans have speculated whether those reasons could involve a bizarre video that emerged recently of the star seemingly attempting to burn grass on a roadside. The video instantly drew some questions about his mental state.
It's hard to know exactly what Diaz was doing in the footage, but given this is the second time his clash with 'The Silent Assassin' has been postponed, it's easy to understand why many fans believe he ought to call it a day.
Whether he returns in 2025, then - or whether his withdrawal from next week's event is the last we'll hear of him - remains to be seen.
#1. Belal Muhammad - UFC welterweight champion
The biggest withdrawal from UFC 310 came back in October when welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was forced off the card due to a bone infection in his foot.
'Remember the Name' had been set to make his first title defense in the event's headline bout against the unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov. Unfortunately, fans will now have to wait until 2025 to see him return.
Whether he will fight Rakhmonov, or someone else, of course, is now up in the air. 'The Nomad' will still fight next weekend, but will instead face a fellow undefeated prospect in the form of Ian Machado Garry. The fight is expected to be a de facto top contender's bout.
While Rakhmonov vs. Garry is a fantastic fight, though, it isn't quite as big as a title fight would've been.
Remarkably, though, this event will only be the second pay-per-view of 2024 to see its headliner changed on relatively late notice.
Back in July, UFC 303 lost its planned main event of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, with Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka stepping in to save the day.
This event has not seen a new headliner created; instead, the co-main event of Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura for the flyweight title has been shunted into the spot.
With any hope, those two fighters - as well as Rakhmonov and Garry - will deliver the goods, softening the blow that was the loss of Muhammad.