The welterweight division has been in a chaotic state as of late. Leon Edwards lost his belt to Belal Muhammad in a big upset then Shavkat Rakhmonov being given the title shot but Muhammad had to pull out. This was due to an injury Muhammad acquired meaning he could no longer participate on his scheduled spot for UFC 310. This left many wondering what the UFC would do. Would they just reschedule? Would Rakhmonov fight for an interim belt? who would Rakhmonov fight? Rumours circulated that Kamaru Usman or Jack Della Maddelena may step in. However we have now got our answer.
UFC 310 Changes
It was announced Rakhmonov will be fighting at UFC 310 against fellow contender Ian Garry. That’s right Ian Garry who was previously booked to fight Joaquin Buckley at a Tampa Fight Night. So the scheduled bout for Garry vs Buckley has been tweaked and now Garry will fight Rakhmonov. This fight will not be for the interim belt however it doesn’t need to be this is a clear number 1 contender fight.
This is a very exciting and interesting match up. Both fighters are undefeated in their careers and have for the ost part looked very impressive. Granted Rakhmonov has looked more impressive finishing all of his fights and being more exciting than Garry. But this does not take away from the skill level and style match up between these contenders. Garry the flashy skilled striker Rakhmonov the well rounded grappler who’s striking is only improving. For both fighters this will be the best opponent they’ve faced so far and will be a great way to decide a clear number 1 contender.
As a result of this fight not being for a title it has been demoted. Instead of being the main event this fight will be the co-main. The new main event will be Alexandre Pantoja vs Kai Asakura. This was initially was the co-main but has been bumped up to top billing given it’s now the only title fight on the card.
Tampa Fight Night
With Garry out of the Buckley fight there of course had to be a change around there. So, it was also announced that Joaquin Buckley will now be facing Colby Covington as the main event at UFC Tampa.
In a shocking turn of events Colby Covington will finally be fighting a dangerous contender it only took a few years. This is another intriguing match-up as we will finally see Covington against a viable contender. Last time out Covington looked awful until round 5 where he finally decided to do something. so we shall now see if that was a result of Edwards being that good or Colby is now washed.
For Colby this is a shot at redemption and the beginning of potentially another title run. If Colby ever wants to be considered a factor in this division ever again he needs to win as he’s not getting any younger. For Buckley this is a golden opportunity to continue his successful welterweight run. Covington despite his inactivity is still a big name in the division. So, beating Covington would do great things for his ranking and resume. Particularly if he beats Convington in more exciting fashion than former champ Edwards.
Both of these new match ups have big implications for the division. The winner of Rakhmonov vs Garry will likely get the title shot against Muhammad. And either one of those two could have a real chance of beating the current champion. And for the winner of Buckley vs Covington they are only a couple wins away from a potential title shot. For Colby Covington this is his last chance at a title run. So, high stakes all around and we look forward to seeing these great fights shake up the division.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images