Covington–Rakhmonov Fight Rumor Never Materialized
Colby Covington and Shavkat Rakhmonov exchanged social-media callouts in November 2024, but their rumored UFC 310 matchup never became official. Rakhmonov fought Ian Machado Garry instead and won by unanimous decision. The fighters’ careers have since taken different paths: Covington is listed as retired by the UFC, while Rakhmonov remains active but has been sidelined by knee injuries.
A rumored UFC 310 replacement
After Belal Muhammad withdrew from his scheduled welterweight title fight with Rakhmonov at UFC 310, Covington said he had offered to step in. Rakhmonov publicly questioned the sincerity of the offer, and Covington responded. The exchange created speculation, but the UFC did not book them against each other.
Rakhmonov instead faced Ian Machado Garry in a five-round bout and earned a unanimous decision. The UFC’s official UFC 310 results document the matchup and outcome. The original callout coverage is available from MMA Junkie.
What happened next
Covington’s next UFC appearance was against Joaquin Buckley on December 14, 2024. Buckley won by third-round TKO after a doctor stopped the fight because of a cut. The UFC now lists Covington’s status as retired; MMA Fighting reported that he notified the promotion of his retirement in May 2026.
Rakhmonov has not fought since the Garry bout. He remains undefeated and active on the UFC roster, but has been recovering from knee injuries and surgery. Recent reporting says he is targeting a possible 2027 return; no comeback date or next opponent has been announced.
See the UFC’s Covington profile and Rakhmonov profile for current roster status and fight histories, and MMA Fighting’s September 2026 interview report for Rakhmonov’s recovery update.
Sources: UFC 310 results; MMA Junkie’s callout report; Covington’s UFC profile; Rakhmonov’s UFC profile; Covington’s reported retirement; Rakhmonov’s recovery update.
