Belal Muhammad doesn’t believe an interim title fight makes sense for Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 following the welterweight champ’s withdrawal, but he’d be OK with it if the UFC goes in that direction.

“Remember the Name” was set to defend his title for the first time against the undefeated Rakhmonov in the main event of the Dec. 7 pay-per-view event, but a bone infection on his toe scratched Muhammad from the bout. Muhammad was asked on his podcast with Jason Anik what he thinks the promotion will do to fill that empty slot, and whether it could be a fight between Rakhmonov and former champion Kamaru Usman.

“I can see them trying to do something with Shavkat,” Muhammad said on his podcast. “He’s calling for an interim title fight. Interim title fight, bro? It’s six weeks, not six months that I’m off. But even for myself, if they just want to do that just to make it a main event, 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. If he wants to wait, it’s going to be us. If it’s going to end up being him, the only person that makes sense now would be Kamaru since Buckley and Garry are out… and I think [Jack Della Maddalena] is injured, so there’s really nobody else out there. … It really doesn’t [make sense], but it’s one of those — when you’re in the middle of camp, it’s hard, and when you’re like six weeks left, you’re locked in. So I can understand it for him that he’s like, ‘Bro, I want to fight.’”

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that the UFC is actively searching for a new main event, but as of now, nothing is set and “negotiations are ongoing.”

The news of Muhammad’s injury was a tough one for the new champ, and the MMA community as the fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov was an anticipated one. Rakhmonov has finished all 18 of his opponents, while Muhammad is unbeaten in 11 fights, culminating with a championship win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July.

Muhammad also revealed more details about why the infection spread the way that it did.

“They open it up and he’s like, ‘Bro, you had a broken toe, that’s what caused the infection to hit the bone much faster,’” Muhammad said. “He was able to fix the toe but the infection is still in there and [I] have to be on antibiotics for the next six weeks. And I’m shocked, I’m like, ‘Bro, are you kidding me right now?’ It was heartbreaking.”

Fighting in enemy territory will be nothing new to Ariane da Silva, who enters the cage Saturday night to battle Canada’s own Jasmine Jasudavicius at UFC Edmonton.

Da Silva reigned as the KSW flyweight champion before joining the UFC, and that included multiple trips to Poland to face European opponents. With nearly 30 MMA bouts under her belt, “Queen of Violence” welcomes the adversarial energy from the arena.

“I’ve had that experience before,” da Silva said in an interview with MMA Fighting, referring to her second-round knockout win over Katarzyna Lubonska in 2015. “My first international fight for KSW was against a Polish fighter in Poland. I really think Canadian fans will side with [Jasudavicius], but this is a fight. When the cage closes, it’s just the two of us and the referee in there. They can scream, but that won’t interfere the gameplan or what we do in there.”

“But what I really love is to fight in front of an audience,” she continued. “I think that’s what brings out the best of my game, way more than the APEX, for example, with a small and cold crowd. I think this is good for our strategy, to make the fight more exciting.”

Two of da Silva’s past four fights took place inside the UFC APEX, a 1-1 run with wins over JJ Aldrich and a recent defeat to Karine Siva, both via decision. When competing in front of nearly 20,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena during UFC 296, the Brazilian forced Casey O’Neill to tap in the second round with an armbar.

Da Silva scored 10 of her 17 MMA wins via finish, six of those by knockout, and said “I know my opponents fear my striking.”

“I know I have a high-level striking,” da Silva said. “My coach Renato trained at Chute Boxe in Curitiba with Rafael Cordeiro and they have a huge tradition in MMA, and I bring that in my DNA as an athlete. And I’m strong, too.”

Da Silva revealed she expected Jasudavicius to be her next opponent even before the UFC called with the offer, and she loves the match-up due to Jasudavicius’ aggressive style. The Canadian talent has never been finished as a professional, winning five of seven since joining the UFC, but “Queen of Violence” expects to change that this weekend.

“Casey O’Neill had never been submitted before aldo and I’m a striker, but I submitted her,” da Silva said. “I don’t limit myself. This is MMA and anything can happen. I’m aggressive, I have heavy hands, I have the technique, and I’m a finisher. I can end fights on the feet and on the ground, and that’s what I’m after. I’ll try to end this fight from the first round, but I’m also ready to go the distance if I have to.”

There will be two seventh-tier sides in the FA Cup second round after Gainsborough Trinity and Harborough Town both progressed on Saturday – in hugely contrasting manners.

Gainsborough beat eighth-tier Hednesford Town on penalties after an eight-goal thriller.

The two lowest-ranked sides left in the competition were locked at 4-4 after extra time before Jordan Helliwell sealed the shootout 5-4 for the Northern Premier League team.

Harborough, meanwhile, thrashed Tonbridge Angels 4-1 on their first-round proper debut, while National League sides Wealdstone, Dagenham and Redbridge and Oldham all beat League Two opposition.

National League South side Weston-super-Mare forced Bristol Rovers to extra time before going down 3-1, while Northern Premier League Guiseley were edged out 5-4 on penalties by Stevenage, of League One.

More to follow.

Max Holloway has created a significant legacy for himself in the featherweight division, but it appears the final visual of him in the weight class he helped build will be a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.

In the aftermath of his first stoppage loss due to strikes in the UFC 308 headliner this month, Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) teased he was going to move up to the lightweight division permanently. He’s competed there twice under the UFC banner in the past, losing a thrilling decision to Dustin Poirier in 2019 then scoring an all-time knockout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in April.

After taking time to reflect on the loss to Topuria and where it puts him in his career, Holloway has made the decision to say farewell to featherweight and focus all his efforts on making a run at 155 pounds.

“This is like my phoenix moment, from the ashes we’re reborn,” Holloway said Saturday on his YouTube channel. “We’re on to bigger, better stuff and walking through a new door and starting a new chapter. I’m a big believer in never say never, and the big question now is, ‘Was that your last fight at 145?’ You guys saw me touch upon it in the press conference, and I can honestly say I think I’m done with 145. Your boy is only getting older. I turn 33. This cut – no excuses. This cut was easy, bro. Shout out to my wife. They helped make this cut really easy, but it takes a tole cutting weight, period. No matter what weight you are.

“I had to give up ramen for my ’45 camps. So I’m done with that. I don’t ever want to give up ramen again. 155, here we come and 155 is where I want to stay. This is a new chapter. This is where we start. This is where we begin. I cannot wait. Like I said, never say never. But I can honestly look you guys in the eye and tell you guys I’m probably not ever going back to ’45. I love what I did. I did what I did. I did what I had to do there. I worked my way back, I clawed my back to the championship fight multiple times there. I was a champion. I defended at that weight. Now it’s time to move on to the next chapter, and 155 there’s a bunch of fun fights that I cannot wait to take.”

Holloway expressed excitement to dive into a physical transformation of moving up. He admitted he never was able to fully commit to it in his previous divisional appearances because he knew there were still featherweight fights in his future, but that’s no longer the case.

“When I do make the return it’s going to be at 155 and we’re there to stay,” Holloway said. “Even the version of myself you saw at 155 against Gaethje is not the full version. We had the idea of going back to ’45 because I wanted that world title. I can’t wait for the future. If you thought that version of myself against Gaethje at 300 was good – I can’t wait to get in the lab with my coaches and put some size on.”

Holloway said he is targeting a summer 2025 return to competition, and is open to all options. He could defend the BMF title, take marquee contender fight or go another direction. It’s too soon for Holloway to start naming opponents given his plans for time off, but he knows there will be plenty of solid possibilities on the table for his return.

“If I got to choose a timeline, International Fight Week,” Holloway said. “I would love to be back on the Ninth Island in Las Vegas. Huge card is International Fight Week. I don’t know who is going to be available at that time. With me being ranked at ’55 is great. Hopefully I can fight somebody in front of me, get a big win and who knows? Might be knocking on the door of a title fight at 155.”

Mike Malott and Trevin Giles meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 1-4
UFC main cards, 2024: 90-85-3

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 preview

Malott (10-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) returns for his second fight of 2024, looking to erase the sting of a frustrating loss to Neil Magny in January. The result was the Dana White’s Contender Series veteran’s first loss in the UFC. Malott won his first three fights in the promotion. … Giles (16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) has never lost three in a row, and enters his second fight of the year on a two-fight skid. Prior to being finished by Gabriel Bonfim and Carlos Prates, Giles picked up a pair of decisions over Louis Cosce and Preston Parsons.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 expert pick, prediction

Despite having guaranteed, high-level action fights like Victor Henry vs. Charles Jourdain on the prelims, the UFC matchmakers decided to kick off the main card with a welterweight matchup between Malott and Giles.

In the matchmakers’ defense, whenever they disrespectfully go against Joe Silva’s tried and true method of booking lighter-weight men’s divisions to set proper entertainment tones, they at least pick welterweight or middleweight fights that have a high potential for finishes.

From a stylistic perspective, there are potential finishing points across the board in this fight between Malott and Giles.

Giles is the more experienced of the two, but he is also the type of fighter who can surprise you with how good he looks until spontaneously combusting at the hands of an opponent.

Whereas Malott, who can find finishes out of nowhere, is also not beyond going from cruise control to internal combustion in the blink of an eye.

Still, even though you can argue either party is untrustworthy, I can’t help but pick Malott to rise to the occasion in this spot.

The pick is Malott to score a club-and-sub in Round 2.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the Canadian fighter, listing Malott -310 and Giles +240 via FanDuel.

Mike Malott vs. Trevin Giles UFC Fight Night 246 start time, how to watch

As the main card opening bout, Malott and Giles are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:05 p.m. ET (5:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.