Islam Makhachev has despatched a message to Shavkat Rakhmonov after the latter was faraway from the official UFC rankings.
The undefeated Kazakh fighter who took away Ian Machado Garry’s undefeated report in 2024 was the No. 2-ranked welterweight in 2026, regardless of not competing for greater than a 12 months.
After the UFC 310 win over Garry, “Nomad” remained on the sidelines attributable to a partial ACL tear and a meniscus damage.
In 2026, he was anticipated to return. Nevertheless, final month, media retailers reported that he had re-injured the identical knee and needed to go beneath the knife. Therefore, his return to the octagon is postponed additional. After this information surfaced, Shavkat Rakhmonov was faraway from the official UFC rankings.
Islam Makhachev on Shavkat Rakhmonov’s damage: “The physique by no means recovers 100%”
Islam Makhachev just lately shared his ideas on Shavkat Rakhmonov’s damage and wished the undefeated UFC welterweight star a speedy restoration. He informed Ushatayka:
“Properly, Shavkat is presently going by way of a nasty streak of accidents. I believe that is the worst factor that may occur to an athlete, particularly after accidents and surgical procedure. The physique by no means recovers 100%, however it’s in that part proper now. Nonetheless, I imagine he has time to get well, heal correctly, and are available again sturdy.”
Take a look at Islam Makhachev’s feedback under:
In 2024, Shavkat Rakhmonov was scheduled to battle Makhachev’s pal and coaching accomplice, then-welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, at UFC 310. Nevertheless, Muhammad needed to withdraw attributable to a bone an infection, after which Garry stepped in on quick discover and was defeated by “Nomad.”
After that bout, Rakhmonov remained sidelined because of the aforementioned damage. In the meantime, Muhammad misplaced his title to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315, after which Islam Makhachev vacated his light-weight championship and moved up.
Makhachev made his welterweight debut towards “JDM” at UFC 322, the place the Dagestani phenom minimize quick Maddalena’s reign with a dominant wrestling show, cruising to a unanimous choice victory.
The 34-year-old P4P king is now anticipated to make the primary protection of his welterweight title post-Ramadan, and rumors strongly counsel that he’ll battle Ian Machado Garry subsequent, who’s now the No. 2-ranked 170-pounder.
