Kamaru Usman has addressed rumors that he could fight at UFC 310.
Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was supposed to make the first defense of his title against 18-0 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov in Las Vegas on December 7. Unfortunately, Muhammad has been forced out of the bout after contracting a bone infection that has caused one of his toes to swell in a gruesome manner.
Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card in an interim title fight, and it appears that the UFC is currently searching for an opponent worthy of facing him.
Kamaru Usman is ready to fight at UFC 310
Kamaru Usman is rumored to be the frontrunner to fill in against Rakhmonov.
However, the former welterweight champion insists that no one from the UFC has been in touch with him about replacing Muhammad on the final pay-per-view show of the year.
If they do, Usman insists he will happily answer the call after previously taking short-notice fights against Jorge Masvidal and Khamzat Chimaev.
Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast he shares with Henery Cejudo: “The UFC is gonna call who they think is gonna be legit, tough enough, man enough and crazy enough to step in there on short notice and go out there and possibly shock the world.
“Definitely, the UFC know who to call when that situation happens. And if they do give me a call, I’m gonna answer the call, get a couple things straight and if we’ve got to do it, we’ve got to do it.
“I don’t shy away from any of that. I’ve done it on six days’ notice. I’ve done it on eight days’ notice.
“Hey, it’s only a couple of weeks’ notice, but it is what it is.”