UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad disagrees with Shavkat Rakhmonov’s idea for an interim title fight while sidelined with an injury, but he can also see an upside.

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was set to defend his recently acquired title for the first time in the UFC 310 main event against undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, a toe infection forced the champ out of the Dec. 7 date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

When the issue arose, Muhammad hoped to avoid a delay from action, but he says a doctor told him the infection was aggressive and needed immediate surgery. According to Muhammad, the doctor told him he caught the problem at the right time and, as a result, would be able to recover quickly.

While Muhammad is on the sideline, the UFC still needs to fill the void of a main event for UFC 310. Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) wants an interim title fight against another worthy challenger.

“I could see them trying to do something with Shavkat, but he’s calling for an interim title fight,” Muhammad said on “Remember the Show.” “It’s like, interim title fight? Bro, it’s six weeks, not six months that I’m off. But even for myself, if they wanted to do that just to make it a main event, I mean, I don’t really care about it if they want to make an interim title fight regardless, because they know who has the real belt. So for me, I know who my next opponent is going to be.”

While Muhammad can see the upside to having an interim title fight in his absence, he’s unsure if an opponent is available that makes sense. If Muhammad’s timeline for his return is accurate, he will be ready for a fight early in 2025, which would be Rakhmonov’s fight if he would be willing to wait a little longer.

Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley threw their names in the hat for the potential replacement fight. However, they have been booked to face each other in the main event of UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 14.

Former champ Kamaru Usman is available, but he and Rakhmonov share the same training room. Jack Della Maddalena is also hovering around the top of the division, but rumors are that he’s not healthy.

From a preparation standpoint, Muhammad can understand why Rakhmonov would want to keep the same date, even if he’s torn on the idea of an interim title fight.

“It really doesn’t (make sense), but it’s one of those where it’s like – when you’re in the middle of camp, it’s hard, because we were like six weeks left,” Muhammad said. “So I can understand him, he’s like, ‘Bro, I want to fight.’ That’s the only part: him and Usman are like training partners, and you guys been in the gym with each other right now. Were you guys looking at each other? Watching each other? It’s just weird.”

The promotion could also go outside the division for a main event switch up at UFC 310. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev exchanged phone emojis on social media, essentially asking the UFC to make the fight happen.

“I wonder who they would do,” Muhammad said. “If it’s not Pereira and Ankalaev, I don’t see it being (Dricus) Du Plessis, I don’t see it being, I mean, (Zhang) Weili is always up there, but I don’t see them trying to throw that one in the mix. We’ll see what Hunter (Campbell) and Dana (White) do, right? They’re the best.”

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Daniel Cormier didn’t mince words when asked about Rinat Fakhredinov’s recent comments toward the commentary team at UFC 308.

Fakhredinov (23-1-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) won a controversial unanimous decision over Carlos Leal in their welterweight bout at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Cormier, who was on the commentary duty for the event, firmly disagreed with the decision.

“Really bad commentators,” Fakhredinov said during a post-fight news conference at UFC 308. “… First round was pretty close. It could’ve gone either way. I didn’t have any doubt the second or third round was mine. After your words, people will say again the Arabs bought the decision.”

During a Q&A session prior to the UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial weigh-ins, Cormier was asked about Fakhredinov’s comments, and didn’t hold back his opinion.

“I don’t know what this dude was talking about,” Cormier said. “I’m serious. Listen bro, he lost. I don’t care how many times he complains – and that’s the thing. These fighters, they go and they fight. It was so clear that the guy lost the fight. He gets a microphone and he goes and sticks his foot in his mouth. That’s the problem. He’s a moron, and he just needs to recognize he lost.”

Every media member who submitted a scorecard to MMA Decisions scored the fight in favor of Leal (21-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC). In fact, most of them scored every round for Leal, who walked away with a loss in his promotional debut.

While the official result prevented Fakhretdinov from recording his first loss in the UFC, Cormier believes that he was “gifted” a win by the cageside judges, and should just quietly accept the result.

“Take it. Just take it,” Cormier said. “You got gifted a win. Take it. Just take it and keep your head tucked down until you fight somebody next time.”

Brandon Moreno and Rose Namajunas both know what it’s like to be UFC champion. They’ve done it twice. Is a third run to gold too tall of a climb?

That’s the question both fighters face Saturday as they enter pivotal matchups. Moreno meets Amir Albazi in the UFC Edmonton flyweight main event, with the hopes of holding onto his spot in the division he has reigned over on two occasions. “The Assassin Baby” doesn’t appear to have lost a step despite a pair of red marks on his ledger, as he went five rounds with Brandon Royval and Alexandre Pantoja only to fall just short on the scorecards.

Having lost to Pantoja three times now, Moreno’s best path back to a title shot is to defeat Albazi and hope that Pantoja drops the belt to Kai Asakura at UFC 310. The task at hand is anything but easy.

Albazi is yet to lose in five UFC appearances, though his most recent fight against Kai Kara-France generated some scoring controversy. That was over 500 days ago as Albazi has been sidelined with a litany of health issues. He now has a chance to knock off a former champion and all but sign his name on the dotted line to face the UFC 310 winner.

The co-main event tells a similar story. At 115 pounds, Namajunas emerged as a star, winning the UFC title twice and delivering some of the most incredible finishes in the division’s history. After a disappointing rematch with Carla Esparza, Namajunas decided to move up in weight, and following a loss to Manon Fiorot, she picked up back-to-back wins to put together her first win streak since 2021.

As much as Namajunas has to prove, Blanchfield is just as motivated, if not more. The 25-year-old blue-chipper dominated her first six UFC opponents before also being foiled by Fiorot. That put a damper on the future champion talks that swirled around her, though she has plenty of time to rebuild that buzz and that mission starts Saturday against a future UFC Hall of Famer.

In other main card action, Canadian representatives Caio Machado, Jasmine Jasudavicius, Marc-Andre Barriault, and Mike Malott look to turn around the country’s recent MMA fortunes.

(Note: A previously scheduled main card bout between Derrick Lewis and Jhonata Diniz has been cancelled due to Lewis being forced to withdraw due to a medical issue. A flyweight bout between Jasudavicius and Ariane da Silva has been elevated to the main card.)

What: UFC Edmonton

Where: Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada

When: Saturday, Nov. 2. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 8 p.m. ET also on ESPN+.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings and Pound-for-Pound Rankings)

Brandon Moreno (4) vs. Amir Albazi (6)

I scored Brandon Moreno’s past two fights in his favor, so it should come as no surprise that I’m picking him to get off the schneid here. No disrespect to Amir Albazi, who is exactly the kind of strong, well-rounded fighter that will be a factor at 125 for years to come, but Moreno is still on that champion level in my eyes.

This is a tale of two layoffs as well, with Moreno taking slightly longer than usual to return to action and Albazi fighting for the first time in 17 months. While Moreno should be refreshed by taking a mental step back, Albazi has been going through it in his time off having to deal with neck and heart issues. Yikes!

Albazi getting a win would be inspirational, but that’s a lot of ill to overcome on top of figuring out how to get past the refreshed two-time UFC champion standing across from him. If he puts the pressure on Moreno early, that could be key to pulling off this upset and stepping right to the front of the title picture.

Is it terrible to predict another split decision is in the cards for Moreno and Albazi? That’s how tight the race is at the top of this division and how skilled both of these fighters are. If Edmonton does become Splitty City for the main event, then the dice have to roll Moreno’s way sometime. He takes this on points.

Pick: Moreno

Erin Blanchfield (4, P4P-8) vs. Rose Namajunas (9, P4P-10)

One reason I was confident in Rose Namajunas beating Tracy Cortez was the enormous skill and experience gap between them, plus the fact that Cortez didn’t have a considerable size and strength advantage over Namajunas. When Erin Blanchfield steps into the cage with “Thug Rose,” fans will be surprised just how physically imposing Blanchfield is in comparison.

Namajunas’ best bet to win this is the same strategy she’s used to win both her fights at 125 pounds: Stick and move. The former strawweight champion even had moments against Manon Fiorot employing this strategy and when you consider this is a five-round fight, it’s easy to imagine Namajunas outlasting Blanchfield and taking over in the final 10 minutes.

It’s also not difficult to imagine Blanchfield getting her hands on Namajunas early and just hossing her around the octagon. Even against sometimes strawweight Amanda Ribas, Namajunas had trouble stopping takedowns. What’s she going to do to prevent Blanchfield from taking her for a ride?

Namajunas has been in there with the best, so I get that counting her out is foolish, but Blanchfield has all the tools to be an elite fighter someday (if she isn’t already). I think she corrects course with a finish of Namajunas, wearing her down before putting an exclamation point on her performance in the second or third round.

Pick: Blanchfield

Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Now is as good a time as any to point out that there are nine Canadians competing on this card, including Vancouver-based Brazilian Caio Machado. When it comes time for Machado to make the walk, there’s a legitimate chance his countrymen could have batted .500 to that point, so it will fall in him to make it a winning night.

As the highest billed Canadian on the card, Machado should soak in those vibes and enjoy a much-needed move to 205 pounds. Machado’s first two UFC fights were against heavyweights flirting with the upper poundage limit of the division, so it made sense to change weight classes.

Strategically speaking, I’d like to see Machado utilize his grappling, which was a weakness of Brendson Ribeiro’s in his most recent fight. You can tell Machado loves to show off his striking, but Riberio has plenty of spark in those gloves and if Machado wants to avoid a hometown letdown, he should consider mixing the martial arts.

This could be a mucky fight from start to finish, so let’s hope it doesn’t drag on too long. Machado, feel free to club and then sub to end this one early.

Pick: Machado

Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus

With respect to my fellow Canadian, I’ve seen Marc-Andre Barriault slip on one too many banana peels to pick him with any confidence.

Barriault is a good fighter, we can say that in fairness, but somehow his combination of physical gifts and sharp coaching hasn’t led to consistent results. He has a favorable matchup here in Stoltzfus, a solid grappler who rarely goes to the cards, for better or worse.

This should be a showcase for Barriault, right? I just see too many ways for him to catch a weird loss though. Stoltzfus’ grappling proves to be too much. Stoltzfus wins a tight decision after a sloppy striking battle. Barriault slips on a Rogers ad on the mat and bumps his head. I don’t know. It’s a Barriault fight.

Stoltzfus by submission.

Pick: Stoltzfus.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles

Now this is a squash match booking I can get behind.

Mike Malott shouldn’t be judged too harshly for his loss to Neil Magny, though it exposed glaring holes in his ability to finish a fight strong. He was handling Magny for almost three rounds before a total collapse led to Magny finishing him with just 15 seconds remaining in the contest. There’s no shame in losing to Magny, a fighter with far more high-level experience than Malott, but it did present a hypothetical ceiling for the Canadian welterweight.

Don’t overthink this one, though. Malott never goes the distance and all six of Giles’ UFC losses are by knockout or submission. He’s a hard-working fighter with some legit wins on his résumé (remember when he beat Roman Dolidze?), but his defensive shortcomings will rear their head at the worst time on Saturday.

It’s a 50-50 proposition how Malott ends this, so I’ll go with him utilizing his striking to score an impressive finish.

Pick: Malott

Preliminaries

Pedro Munhoz def. Aiemann Zahabi

Ariane da Silva def. Jasmine Jasudavicius

Victor Henry def. Charles Jourdain

Jack Shore def. Youssef Zalal

Alexandr Romanov def. Rodrigo Nascimento

Serhiy Sidey def. Garrett Armfield

Cody Gibson def. Chad Anheliger

Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Ivana Petrovic

A former Welsh football referee has said the abuse he received on the job made him “question if it was worth it”.

Sean Regan, who spent six months in the profession before quitting, said there was “a real culture problem”.

The 40-year-old added: “I don’t think we can be proud to be involved in football.”

It comes as a committee of grassroots referees have refused to officiate games this weekend and two leagues in Cardiff have postponed matches in solidarity with them.

Cardiff Combination League and Lazarou Cardiff Sunday League have agreed to postpone their games, while Cardiff and District league have left the decision on whether to play up to individual teams.

Mr Regan, who was a sports lecturer and a football coach before pivoting to refereeing, said he initially thought it would be a good opportunity.

But the “atrocious” behaviour of players towards him brought him to breaking point.

“It didn’t surprise me because the coaching staff had very poor behaviour, towards their own players, officials and the opposition,” he said.

“In one match, one of their lads came up to me and said ‘if you keep calling fouls, he [teammate] is going to smack you’.

“It just made me think ‘if somebody hit me what am I supposed to do?’”

Mr Regan said although he enjoyed officiating, he did not want to feel like he was in a “fight or flight position”.

“I don’t regret leaving because it was the right decision, but I regret feeling like I had to,” he said.

The referees strike will impact matches in the three leagues across 2 and 3 November.

Despite the knock-on effect on matches getting played, many players have also supported the cause.

Evan Emer, a player for CPD Treganna – a team that plays in the Cardiff Combination league – said players were “obviously frustrated”, but added: “If the health and safety of the referees is being challenged and if they don’t feel safe doing their job it is difficult to contest.

“Frankly, I’m not surprised that it’s come to this.”

Other players were not sure the strike would make a difference.

Cobi Flowers of Cardiff Sparta – a team in the Cardiff and District league – said change needed to “come from above”.

Both Cardiff Combination and Lazarou Sunday League have postponed all fixtures this weekend in support of the referees, but some Cardiff and District league games are still going ahead.

The Lazarou League said it would “support the stance by the Referee Society”, while the Cardiff Combination Football League (CCFL) said it did “not condone either violence toward or, abuse of referees” but wanted to give all referees the choice on whether or not to participate in the action.

Baseball is just a game. Except on Friday afternoon at Chavez Ravine, 42,458 fans didn’t flock to Dodger Stadium to watch one. 

They arrived with their kids, their friends, their parents and grandparents, many of whom once watched Fernando Valenzuela electrify a city and ignite a movement, for a party both four and 36 years in the making. 

When the Dodgers won it all in 2020, the only fans their stadium welcomed came in the form of cardboard cutouts. The real ones were watching from their homes, confined by the limitations of a pandemic that forced the postseason to be played in a Texas bubble and denied the winners the parade they had always imagined.

Despite all the winning the Dodgers had done over the last few decades, including 11 straight trips to the postseason before this year, they hadn’t celebrated a full-season World Series championship since 1988. 

On Friday afternoon, on what would have been Valenzuela’s 64th birthday, a city erupted and a long-awaited parade began. 

“It certainly made up for 2020,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously there’s a lot of players in 2020 that didn’t get to appreciate and experience what we experienced, but this is for them, too.”

The Dodgers returned home from New York, where they had silenced the critics and naysayers who tried to claim the only championship they’d won in the last 30 years, a 60-game sprint, somehow didn’t count the same. They demonstrated they could win in an unprecedented sprint. This year, they displayed they could emerge from a rigorous marathon, too. 

Baseball is just a game, but the tears that welled up in the eyes of Dodgers players when they finally got their parade suggested more. 

The lengthy build-up to the occasion, Clayton Kershaw explained, might have made it “even sweeter.”

“I waited a long time for this,” Kershaw said. “I’m just so thankful to every single fan that came out, so thankful at how well they’ve treated me and my family for all these years. I mean, we’ve been through it. We’ve been through some stuff. To be able to see them as happy as they were, be able to celebrate with us, it means the world to me. It really does.”

Angelenos flooded the streets to mark the occasion, including hundreds of thousands on the Dodgers’ parade route, which started at City Hall, took the team through downtown Los Angeles and eventually ended at the place where they won 52 regular-season games this year, then clinched the NLDS and NLCS. 

Roberts began October on the hot seat after a couple early playoff exits. He began November on a ceremony stage at Dodger Stadium, where he danced alongside Ice Cube, having expertly orchestrated his team to a championship.

“Today,” Roberts said, “was a good day.” 

The way the Dodgers expressed their jubilation varied, as one by one some of the most prominent figures took the microphone. 

Some, including Shohei Ohtani, spoke in their second language. The prized free-agent acquisition, after six years without a winning season to begin his career in Anaheim, addressed the crowd in English to express his appreciation after winning a World Series in year one with the Dodgers. 

“This is so special,” he said. “I’m so honored to be here and be part of this team. Congratulations, Los Angeles. Thank you guys.”

Many kept it brief: “We’re world f—ing champions, motherf—er,” Walker Buehler said, two days after throwing the final pitch at Yankee Stadium. 

Levity was a popular form of expression, including from another player who furthered his October legend. 

“Ice Cube came out in Game 2, and with his performance we didn’t even need to play the game, we had already won it,” Kiké Hernández said. “Then we go to New York, and this guy, he used to be fat, he’s not fat anymore, his name is Joe. He came out and sang, and guess what, we didn’t even need to play because after that performance, we had already won.” 

Mookie Betts, meanwhile, pointed to his hand.

The addition of Betts sparked the Dodgers’ last championship season, but he had struggled through the past couple Octobers before breaking out again this postseason, slashing .290/.387/.565 with four homers and becoming the only active position player in the majors with three World Series rings. 

“I’m trying to fill this hand up, LA,” said Betts, who signed a 12-year contract extension during the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series run.

Baseball is just a game, but for many Dodgers veterans, it also led to a cathartic release. 

There was Freddie Freeman, who had battled not only ankle, finger and rib injuries but also personal distress throughout the season’s second half. His 3-year-old son, Max, persevered through a sudden, scary autoimmune illness that at one point rendered him temporarily unable to walk. When Freeman returned from the emergency family list in early August after Max began to improve, the Dodger Stadium crowd gave him a standing ovation that stuck with him as cheers rained down again Friday. 

“You guys showed out for my family and I,’ Freeman said. “That was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had on the field. I was so touched. I did everything I could to get out on this field for you guys. And I’m glad I did.”

There was Teoscar Hernández, who joined the Dodgers on a one-year deal after his market didn’t materialize the way he expected last winter. He decided to go to Los Angeles for the chance to win, then provided a vital jolt to the Dodger lineup in a bounceback year. Hernández, who quickly became a quick fan favorite, as the cheers indicated Friday, got choked up as he grabbed the microphone and thanked the crowd. 

The impending free agent also expressed hope to return next year as a Dodger, calling it “the priority.” 

“I knew it was going to be good,” Teoscar Hernández said. “I knew a lot of things were about to happen in a good way, but this is way more than I expected.”

And then there was Kershaw, the embodiment of the franchise’s colossal highs and gut-wrenching lows of the past two decades.

“I didn’t have anything to do with this championship, but it feels like the best feeling in the world,” Kershaw said to a cheering crowd. “Dodger for life.”

The future Hall of Famer was unable to contribute down the stretch of the 2024 season after trying and failing to push multiple injuries. He will need two surgeries on Wednesday, one to address the left big toe and foot issues that forced him out for the year and another to fix the meniscus in his left knee. 

That’s part of why it was so meaningful to him that Roberts and Kershaw’s teammates still beckoned him to the stage to say a few words in front of a fanbase that has lived and died with each pitch, with each grueling defeat and euphoric win, the same way he has for 17 years. 

Next year, Kershaw plans to make it an 18th in a Dodger jersey, whether he picks up his player option or not. 

The 2020 season championship brought him relief. This one induced only tears of happiness. 

“Baseball is just a game, everybody says that,” Kershaw said. “But I don’t know, man. You look around and you see how much it means to so many different people. I think it might be baseball, but it means a lot to a lot of different people, and I’m no different.” 

Dodgers vs. Yankees: MINI-MOVIE of 2024 World Series | MLB on FOX 🎥

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner. 

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