Shavkat Rakhmonov makes a statement after losing his title shot in Montreal against Belal Muhammad
Shavkat Rakhmonov says he's still next in line for a 170-pound title shot after Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena scrap at UFC 315.
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Shavkat Rakhmonov releases statement after losing Montreal title crack vs. Belal Muhammad (Source: X)
An injury to “Nomad” has again ruled out a welterweight title fight between champ Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov. The undefeated Rakhmonov has been the biggest gatekeeper for the 170-pound top contender spot for a while now. Now, he breaks his silence on it.
Replacing Rakhmonov is Jack Della Maddalena, who fights Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315 PPV in Montreal on May 10th. Muhammad is unbeaten in his last 12 bouts and has gone from dark horse contender to legit champ at UFC 304 PPV last July. JDM too has those GOATed undefeated stats; the Rakhmonov challenge, though, was the go-to fight and the best skills test deterrent. The undefeated Kazakh phenom issued a first statement on it:
Big thanks to the UFC for offering me the shot at the belt first. Unfortunately, due to injury, I won’t be ready for May. I’ll be facing the winner later this year! 👊🏼
Shavkat Rakhmonov via X (@Rakhmonov1994)
This is the second time that the ‘Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov’ PPV title billing has failed to come together. The two were to fight at UFC 310 on December 7th. Unfortunately, “Remember the Name” pulled out due to a serious bone infection. Shavkat Rakhmonov, instead, went to a gritty war and defeated welterweight Ian Machado Garry to cement his stake.
Big thanks to the UFC for offering me the shot at the belt first. Unfortunately, due to injury, I won’t be ready for May. I’ll be facing the winner later this year! 👊🏼
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) February 20, 2025
Della Maddalena gets a title shot just over three years after his promotional debut. Notable victories in the UFC include standouts like Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland. He and Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) thus tread ahead for the UFC 315 PPV main event on May 10 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
A Montreal Preview: What’s up with Nomad
Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov has been vying for a shot and scuffling with UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad for a while now. Muhammad last trained for a fight during Ramadan when he faced Gilbert Burns at UFC 288. He won the five-round bout by unanimous decision to become the No. 1 contender. Drained from that, he was to enter active camp in April but promised that he’d face Rakhmonov.
Muhammad’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told SBNation Network that he was eyeing a return to the pipeline in May. It was finally to be the ultimate test vs. the Kazakh fighter. However, now the challenger has pulled out due to an undisclosed injury. When Muhammad pulled out of UFC 310, Rakhmonov went to war with Garry. He survived a late scare and rallied along the stretch to defeat Garry via lopsided decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) at the co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena.
There were reports after the win that Shavkat had been fighting with a serious knee injury! It’s yet unclear if that’s what is keeping him off the board at UFC 315. But given he stayed on for contention at UFC 310, there is a chance UFC brass won’t boot him from the No. 1 Contender’s spot. In recent times, UFC 155-pound top seed Arman Tsarukyan was sent packing to the drawing board after UFC 311. Nomad said he’ll face the champ later in the year; there’s still hope yet.
Related: Shavkat Rakhmonov Net Worth, UFC salary, Endorsements and House
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