Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry is ready for the UFC 310 co-main event

In a battle of undefeated welterweights, Shavkat Rakhmonov will face Ian Machado Garry in a five-round co-main event at UFC 310 on December 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Dana White announced the new pairing on Friday.

The fight 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 out of the final pay-per-view in 2024. The winner is expected to face Muhammad in his first title defense when he returns next year.

Garry accepts the bout after he was originally scheduled to headline the UFC Tampa card a week later against Joaquin Buckley on December 14. Right after Muhammad dropped out of UFC 310, Garry immediately called for the fight against Rakhmonov, and now he’s getting his wish. .

Meanwhile, Rakhmonov faces Garry after preparing to take on Muhammed for the undisputed title. Instead, he gets a shot at interim gold with both fighters holding perfect records ahead of the December 7 event.

Rakhmonov vs. Garry is set to co-main event, with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt in the new main event against former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura, who will make his Octagon debut.