Good news, fights fans: Shavkat Rakhmonov says he’s finally healthy and prepping for a UFC return.
Labeled by many as the proverbial boogeyman of the welterweight division, fan favorite Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) revealed he’s now healthy from the knee injury that put him on the sidelines for almost a year and is ready to resume his fighting career along with his campaign to the belt.
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“It wasn’t an easy year – a lot of challenges, a lot of problems – but thank God everything is getting well,” Rakhmonov told Ariel Helwani. “I’m already in training getting back in shape, and just looking how this situation will play out in our division to see what’s next for me.”
Rakhmonov last fought in December 2024 when he defeated top contender Ian Machado Garry in a unanimous decision. Although Machado Garry has claimed he injured Rakhmonov, the Kazakh fighter said he already had the injury heading into the fight. He fought through a meniscus and partial ACL tear.
“I actually injured myself before the fight against Ian Garry because I had to prepare for such a long time and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to fight,” Rakhmonov said. “That’s why I fought and took a risk. The injury didn’t get worse in the fight. It was the same scale before and after the fight. First, I wanted to avoid the surgery and give rest to the injury and rehab, but it wasn’t enough, so I had to do surgery still. I’ve been out for a while. Soon it’s going to be a year. But right now, I feel good, and I feel healthy, and I believe I’ll be ready to fight at the end of February or March. We’ll see.”
Rakhmonov was expected to fight for the belt Machado Garry. He’d ideally like to get his shot at newly crowned champion Islam Makhachev, but with his time away and the growth of the lost of title contenders, he’s unsure if he’ll get it.
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“I would prefer to fight for the title next, but this timeline is not going to work for Islam – February or March,” Rakhmonov said. “He’ll probably defend his belt in April or May, around that time. Of course, if I can fight Islam next, I’m ready. I’ll do it. But also I was supposed to fight for a title and I had a respectful reason why not take this opportunity, and I was promised a title shot in the future. But again, if I have to fight for the title shot again. I have no problem. I can prove again I’m the rightful No. 1 contender.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Shavkat Rakhmonov reveals timeline for UFC run: ‘I feel healthy’
