Major UFC title fight falls through, former champion retires, Jon Jones reacts to Joe Rogan's praise: MMA News Roundup
A massive upcoming UFC title fight has fallen through because of the champion's health issues. Elsewhere a former champion announced retirement after 'begging' the promotion for another fight.
Catch up with today's top combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA.
Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310
In an unfortunate turn of events, Belal Muhammad is no longer fighting against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 because of an infection. He was set to defend his welterweight belt against the Kazakh on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas.
After the initial report surfaced, Muhammad took to social media to explain the nature of his health complications:
"Caught a bone infection in my foot .. had to put a PICC line in my arm for IV antibiotics the next 6 weeks with no physical activity … Allah's plan is the best plan I’m sorry to everyone that was coming to see. I'll be back soon InshAllah."
The attached pictures show that the infection occurred in the middle finger of his left toe.
Take a look at the photos and videos shared by Belal Muhammad below:
The UFC is yet to announce a replacement for Muhammad or whether his opponent will remain on the card.
Rakhmonov issued a statement on the matter on X, demanding an interim title fight from the promotion. A cryptic online conversation between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev made fans think they would step up to headline the event despite having fought recently, but Ariel Helwani dismissed the claim soon afterward.
Germaine de Randamie retires from MMA
Forty-year-old Germaine de Randamie, the first UFC women's featherweight champion, has announced her retirement from MMA.
After losing to Norma Dumont in her previous outing in April, the veteran fighter was supposed to face Nora Cornolle at UFC Paris in September. However, the fight fell through after de Randamie broke her finger and fractured her foot.
In a social media post on Thursday, she revealed that she was hanging up her gloves after asking for a fight in 2024 and being turned down by the promotion:
"I begged the UFC for one more fight. But it had to be this year. I promised myself I would retire from fighting [on] December 31st, 2024. Unfortunately, the UFC told me all cards are fully booked. That’s why I decided that the time is now. I really wished I could have walked the walk one more time."
Take a look at Germaine de Randamie's full statement below:
Jon Jones posts voting update, reacts to Joe Rogan's praise
Jon Jones posted a photo on Instagram of him voting for the first time. He also thanked Donald Trump and Joe Rogan for the kind words on Rogan's podcast episode featuring the former U.S. president.
During the episode, Trump asked Rogan who he would say is the greatest UFC fighter of all time. Rogan started the list with Jones' name:
"Jon Jones, most people would say, is the greatest of all time; never lost. There's certainly a very good argument for that."
Rogan also named Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Anderson Silva, and Demetrious Johnson among fighters he considers belong on the list.
Reacting to the comment, 'Bones' wrote:
"Just voted for the first time, and I’m feeling like a proud American! The registration process was super easy, and I can’t stress enough how worth it this feels. Huge thanks to Joe Rogan and @realdonaldtrump for mentioning me in your last podcast. Honored to be considered one of the best fighters on the planet among such fierce competition. To all my fellow Americans, especially the young ones: get out there and vote! It’s your voice, your power—let’s use it!"