UFC 310: Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 310: Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov took place on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — the final UFC PPV of 2024. It was headlined by Belal Muhammad's first welterweight title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov, with Alexandre Pantoja defending the flyweight title against Kai Kara-France in the co-main. The card produced an estimated 650,000 pay-per-view buys.
The main event produced one of the most unusual results in UFC title history: a majority draw. Judges scored it 47-47, 47-47, and 48-47 Muhammad. Under UFC rules, a majority draw in a title fight means the champion retains. Belal Muhammad retained the welterweight title without a definitive verdict — a result that immediately set up a rematch as the most-anticipated welterweight fight of 2025.
Alexandre Pantoja defended the flyweight title against Kai Kara-France via unanimous decision in the co-main, retaining his belt for the third time. The card closed 2024 on a note of controversy around the main event draw.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
📍 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
👥 Attendance: 20,171 (full capacity)
📺 PPV Buys: ~650,000
🏆 Main Event: Belal Muhammad (c) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Majority Draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Muhammad) — Muhammad retains the title
🥇 Co-Main: Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Kai Kara-France via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) — Flyweight Title
The Build-Up
Belal Muhammad had won the welterweight title at UFC 304 in July 2024. Shavkat Rakhmonov had earned the title shot via his rear-naked choke submission of Ian Machado Garry at UFC 308. Rakhmonov was 18-0 in MMA — unbeaten across his entire professional career — and had finished all 18 opponents. Muhammad was -150; Rakhmonov was +120.
The fight was framed as the most technically complete welterweight matchup since the Edwards-Usman trilogy: a champion with elite wrestling and pressure versus an undefeated finisher with the most feared submission game in the division. Rakhmonov had never been to a decision in 18 professional fights.
Main Event: Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov
A genuinely elite five-round welterweight championship fight. Muhammad's wrestling pressure scored takedowns in rounds one and three; Rakhmonov's submission game neutralised the top-position time — he escaped within 60 seconds of each takedown and pressed for submission attempts from bottom position that made Muhammad cautious. Rounds two, four, and five were Rakhmonov's on striking volume and submission threat.
Final scorecards: 47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Muhammad. A majority draw. Under UFC rules, a majority draw in a title fight results in the champion retaining. Belal Muhammad retained the welterweight title by the most unusual championship result of 2024. The immediate rematch was framed as the most-anticipated welterweight fight of 2025.
Most independent scorers had it as a genuine split either way — 48-47 Rakhmonov for those who valued his submission threat and round-five volume, 48-47 Muhammad for those who weighted the wrestling takedowns and the championship round. The two 47-47 cards were the most defensible individual scorecards; the 48-47 for Muhammad gave him the technical retain under the rules.
Co-Main Event: Pantoja vs. Kara-France
Alexandre Pantoja defended the flyweight title for the third time via unanimous decision. Kai Kara-France had previously lost to Pantoja via submission in round four at UFC 288; this rematch went five rounds. Pantoja used his body work and his clinch wrestling to win four of five rounds. Final scorecards: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46. The comfortable margin confirmed Pantoja's flyweight dominance — three title defenses without a close call.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Belal Muhammad (c) vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov — Majority Draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47 Muhammad) — Welterweight Title (Muhammad retains)
Alexandre Pantoja (c) def. Kai Kara-France — Unanimous Decision (49-46 ×3) — Flyweight Title
Brendan Allen def. Chris Curtis — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R3 — Middleweight
Tony Ferguson vs. Paddy Pimblett — Pimblett def. Ferguson via UD (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight (Ferguson's eighth consecutive loss)
Jailton Almeida def. Alexandr Romanov — TKO (punches) — R2 — Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jim Miller def. Bobby Green — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2 — Lightweight
Joe Pyfer def. Michal Oleksiejczuk — TKO (punches) — R1 — Middleweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Shavkat Rakhmonov — $50,000 for the most competitive welterweight title-fight performance of 2024 — going five rounds with the champion while threatening with submissions throughout.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Alexandre Pantoja — $50,000 for his third consecutive flyweight title defense via a dominant 49-46 unanimous decision.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Brendan Allen — $50,000 for the third-round rear-naked choke submission of Chris Curtis.
Records & Milestones
• The majority draw — the first UFC welterweight title fight to end in a draw since Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz in 2012.
• Rakhmonov went the distance for the first time in 19 professional MMA fights — the UFC 310 main event was his first five-round fight.
• Pantoja's third consecutive title defense — making him the most dominant flyweight champion since Demetrious Johnson's reign.
• The final UFC PPV of 2024 — closing a year that included UFC 300 (1.2M PPV), UFC 306 (1M PPV), and four title changes.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 310 is remembered primarily as the majority draw — one of the most unusual championship results in modern UFC history and the foundation of a rematch narrative that extended into 2025. The fight itself was genuinely elite: two complete welterweights who both brought championship-calibre tools across five rounds, producing a result that genuinely reflected the difficulty of scoring it.
For Belal Muhammad, the technical retain without a clear win created the least satisfying possible title defense outcome — he retained but without vindication. The rematch with Rakhmonov became the most-discussed unbooked welterweight fight of early 2025. For Alexandre Pantoja, the Kara-France defense confirmed his flyweight dominance and set up his Pantoja era as the longest single-champion run since Demetrious Johnson.
FAQ
What happens when a UFC title fight ends in a draw?
The champion retains the title. Under unified MMA rules, a challenger must win definitively to take a title; a draw is not a definitive result. Muhammad retained despite two of the three judges scoring the fight 47-47. The one judge who scored it 48-47 Muhammad was the deciding card under the majority draw rules. A majority draw occurs when two judges score the fight even and one judge scores it for one fighter; it differs from a split draw (one judge for each fighter and one even) or a unanimous draw (all three judges even).
How does UFC 310 compare to UFC 309?
UFC 310 drew approximately 650,000 PPV buys versus UFC 309 (750,000) three weeks earlier — a 100,000-buy drop reflecting the welterweight division's lower mainstream draw compared to a Jones title defense. The year-end Las Vegas card still performed well on the strength of the Rakhmonov unbeaten narrative and the Pantoja-Kara-France rematch.
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