Belal Muhammad Details Foot Infection Before UFC 310
Belal Muhammad withdrew from his first planned welterweight title defense for the December 2024 event after a bone infection in his foot required IV antibiotics and weeks without training. He later returned to compete, lost the title, and was most recently defeated by Gabriel Bonfim by unanimous decision in June 2026.
Why Muhammad withdrew from the title fight
Muhammad was scheduled to defend his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov on December 7, 2024. He announced that a bone infection in his foot required a PICC line for intravenous antibiotics and six weeks without physical activity, forcing him out of the Las Vegas main event. In a later interview, he explained that an old toe injury had become infected and the infection had spread into the bone. He said he briefly considered whether removing the toe could let him compete, but doctors advised against it because the infection had already spread.
Muhammad later described a difficult return to conditioning after treatment. He said he had been hospitalized and needed weeks of antibiotics; simple exercise initially left him feeling far from his previous fitness. Those comments were part of his recovery update, not a promise that he was immediately ready for a title defense.
What happened after his recovery
Muhammad eventually defended his belt against Jack Della Maddalena at the May 2025 event, but lost by unanimous decision and surrendered the title. He then lost another unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry in November 2025. On June 6, 2026, Gabriel Bonfim defeated Muhammad by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the five-round bout 50–45.
That sequence closes the original recovery story: the infection did not end Muhammad’s career, and he returned to the Octagon, but he is no longer champion. That withdrawal should be understood as a serious medical setback at the time, separate from the later results of his career.
Sources
- ESPN: Muhammad announces the infection…
- MMA Mania: Muhammad’s interview on…
- UFC: UFC 315 results, including Della Maddalena’s title win
- UFC: Bonfim’s unanimous-decision win over Muhammad in June 2026
