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LAS VEGAS – Belal Muhammad will have his eyes peeled for the UFC 310 co-main event.
Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was scheduled to defend his welterweight title against Shavkat Rakhmonov in Saturday’s main event, but was forced out due to a bone infection in his foot. Instead, Rakhmonov will take on Ian Machado Garry in a five-round bout (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, Hulu, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena.
Although Machado Garry (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is a big underdog, Muhammad is picking him to upset Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
“Honestly, I think it’s going to be Ian,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie on the red carpet. “He’s very smart with the way he fights, and he has good IQ of how to get a win. We’ve seen him get rocked before, but he always adjusts his style. I think he’s had harder matchups in the UFC, and he’s showed different game plans for all of his matchups, and I think he’ll be able to stick and move his way to victory.”
However, Muhammad would rather Rakhmonov win. While he sees Machado Garry doing a better job of selling a fight, he likes the sense of invincibility that Rakhmonov brings with his 100 percent finish rate.
“Shavkat has more of that aura about him,” Muhammad said. “I think people overrate him. They put him on this big pedestal. I think a lot of people underrate Ian. They don’t think he’s really as good as his record shows, but for me, either one. It doesn’t matter because I’m going to take somebody’s 0. I’m just starting to train now, so definitely before summer because I want to get at least two or three fights in next year.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.