'If it were Khabib or Makhachev, they would have refused' — unbeaten welterweight's comments draw attention ahead of title push

Shavkat Rakhmonov's hand is raised by the referee after his unanimous decision victory over Ian Garry at UFC 310 in December 2024. [Getty Images]
Shavkat Rakhmonov's hand is raised by the referee after his unanimous decision victory over Ian Garry at UFC 310 in December 2024. [Getty Images]

Shavkat Rakhmonov, the unbeaten welterweight from Kazakhstan who has been sidelined by a knee injury, has revealed that he fought Ian Machado Garry while carrying a serious knee problem — and that he knew the risks when he chose to compete.

In a recent interview with ALF Global, Rakhmonov said the injury had cost him a title shot and that he had been forced to manage the problem throughout.

"Honestly, I should not have fought Ian Garry at all. I should not have competed with that kind of injury. I just took the risk," he said, hinting at some regret over the decision. He also revealed that he had been out for a year before the Garry fight and entered because he simply wanted to compete. "There were already problems with my body before that, and there were only two weeks left until the Garry fight," he said.

Rakhmonov has not competed since his unanimous decision win over Garry in December 2024. He had originally been set to challenge UFC champion Belal Muhammad, but Muhammad was unable to fight. Despite his knee problems, Rakhmonov stayed on the card and faced Garry in a No. 1 contender bout.

Injuries have continued to follow him since. Sean Brady recently expressed concern that Rakhmonov's slow recovery could make it difficult for him to continue his career. Rakhmonov has suffered significant damage to his ACL and meniscus, and has said he competed without a functioning ligament.

His last fight before the Garry bout was against Stephen Thompson in December 2023. Skipping the Garry fight would have left him on the sidelines for far too long, which appears to have driven the decision to push through.

Still, Rakhmonov took a pointed swipe at fighters from Dagestan. "That's the Kazakh way. We don't fear anything," he said. "If it were another Dagestani fighter like Khabib or Islam Makhachev, they definitely would have refused." The remark carried a clear implication that Dagestani fighters are overly cautious about protecting their bodies.

The welterweight division is currently anchored by Makhachev, who cemented his title reign with a decision win over Ian Garry. Rakhmonov signaled his confidence in breaking back into contention. "Time will tell. I will do my best to come back and win the title," he said.


yjc@heraldcorp.com