Written by Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
In a battle of undefeated welterweights, Shavkat Rakhmonov is set to face Ian Machado Garry in a five-round co-main event at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Dana White announced the new pairing on Friday.
The matchup between Rakhmonov and Garry came together after reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was hospitalized with an infected toe that ultimately forced him to drop off the final pay-per-view of 2024. The winner is expected to face Muhammad in his first title defense when he returns next year.
Garry accepts the fight after he was originally scheduled to headline the UFC Tampa card one week later against Joaquin Buckley on Dec. 14. Just after Muhammad dropped off UFC 310, Garry immediately called for the fight against Rakhmonov and now he’ll get his wish.
Meanwhile, Rakhmonov faces off with Garry after initially preparing to take on Muhammad for the undisputed title. Instead, he gets a shot at interim gold with both fighters sporting perfect records ahead of the event on Dec. 7.
Rakhmonov vs. Garry is set as the co-main event with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt in the new main event against former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura, who is making his octagon debut.