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Rakhmonov defeated Stephen Thompson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:56 of Round 2 at UFC 296 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
The next man to survive Rakhmonov will be the first, as he's now 18-0 as a professional with eighteen stoppage victories (eight knockouts, 10 submissions). Simply put, the man has no weaknesses in his game. He's big, strong and equally effective both on the feet and the mat. Shavkat wisely limited Thompson's space, pinning him up against the cage for nearly all of Round 1. He employed a similar technique in Round 2 before finally forcing Wonderboy to the ground. Thompson survived the first deep rear-naked choke that came his way, but couldn't survive the second. Rakhmonov is now 6-0 in the UFC, with his last three wins coming against above-average opposition in Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. One would assume he's no more than one win away from a shot at UFC gold, and it would seem like a smart bet Shavkat will fight for a title at some point in 2024.
The next man to survive Rakhmonov will be the first, as he's now 18-0 as a professional with eighteen stoppage victories (eight knockouts, 10 submissions). Simply put, the man has no weaknesses in his game. He's big, strong and equally effective both on the feet and the mat. Shavkat wisely limited Thompson's space, pinning him up against the cage for nearly all of Round 1. He employed a similar technique in Round 2 before finally forcing Wonderboy to the ground. Thompson survived the first deep rear-naked choke that came his way, but couldn't survive the second. Rakhmonov is now 6-0 in the UFC, with his last three wins coming against above-average opposition in Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny. One would assume he's no more than one win away from a shot at UFC gold, and it would seem like a smart bet Shavkat will fight for a title at some point in 2024.
To face Thompson
Rakhmonov will fight Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, according to UFC President Dana White.
ANALYSIS
Rakhmonov will come into this fight with a ton of hype, as he's sporting a 17-0 record during his professional career, all of which were finishes. He's coming off wins against Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, but the 40-year-old Thompson is hungry for a win to prove that he's still a contender.
Rakhmonov will come into this fight with a ton of hype, as he's sporting a 17-0 record during his professional career, all of which were finishes. He's coming off wins against Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, but the 40-year-old Thompson is hungry for a win to prove that he's still a contender.
Not fighting on Sept. 16
Rakhmonov will not fight Kelvin Gastelum on Sept. 16, according to Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Gastelum withdrew from the fight because of an undisclosed injury. He is reportedly willing to compete against Rakhmonov in November. However, the undefeated welterweight prefers they fight during October if their fight can get re-scheduled.
Gastelum withdrew from the fight because of an undisclosed injury. He is reportedly willing to compete against Rakhmonov in November. However, the undefeated welterweight prefers they fight during October if their fight can get re-scheduled.
Set for Sept. 16 fight
Rakhmonov will take on Kelvin Gastelum in a welterweight bout on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Rahkmonov is undefeated through 17 professional fights and is fresh off a win via submission over Geoff Neal in March. He will look to stay perfect against Gastelum, who has lost in five of his last seven bouts, but recently took down Chris Curtis via unanimous decision.
Rahkmonov is undefeated through 17 professional fights and is fresh off a win via submission over Geoff Neal in March. He will look to stay perfect against Gastelum, who has lost in five of his last seven bouts, but recently took down Chris Curtis via unanimous decision.
Another standout performance
Rakhmonov defeated Geoff Neal via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:17 of Round 3 at UFC 285 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
There's most definitely a scenario in play in which this guy is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in the not-too-distant future. Accepting this fight at a 175-pound catchweight after a bad weight miss by Neal on Friday morning, Rakhmonov went about his business, dissecting his opponent with a variety of different offensive attacks. Shavkat hits hard, he can grapple, and he's not afraid to absorb punishment from his opposition. In fact, every single time Neal cracked him with a big shot he simply smiled and went about his business. 17 fights into his professional career, the 28-year-old remains undefeated, with 17 stoppage (eight knockouts, nine submission) victories. Shavkat asked for either Colby Covington or a title shot next. Both are massive asks, but he's probably ready for it. In the meantime, he'll take home at least a $50,000 bonus after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors (often times, the fighter facing a heavy opponent gets their share of the bonus as well).
There's most definitely a scenario in play in which this guy is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in the not-too-distant future. Accepting this fight at a 175-pound catchweight after a bad weight miss by Neal on Friday morning, Rakhmonov went about his business, dissecting his opponent with a variety of different offensive attacks. Shavkat hits hard, he can grapple, and he's not afraid to absorb punishment from his opposition. In fact, every single time Neal cracked him with a big shot he simply smiled and went about his business. 17 fights into his professional career, the 28-year-old remains undefeated, with 17 stoppage (eight knockouts, nine submission) victories. Shavkat asked for either Colby Covington or a title shot next. Both are massive asks, but he's probably ready for it. In the meantime, he'll take home at least a $50,000 bonus after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors (often times, the fighter facing a heavy opponent gets their share of the bonus as well).