Shavkat Rakhmonov eyes title fight with win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 296: Of course I’m ready’
Undefeated welterweight contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov has claimed he will “be ready” for a shot at the division’s championship following his return to the Octagon at UFC 296 later this month, should he land a victory over former title chaser, Stephen Thompson.
Rakhmonov, who currently holds the number five ranked welterweight contender, most recently featured at UFC 285 back in March, landing an eventual third round standing rear-naked choke win over common-foe, Geoff Neal in his return to active competition.
Improving to 17-0 as a result, Rakhmonov also maintained his jaw-dropping run of consecutive finishes, landing his ninth career submission win to go with a further eight separate knockout stoppage victories.
Shavkat Rakhmonov keen on title fight after UFC 296
In the midst of a five-fight winning run since landing the Dana White-led promotion back in 2020, Rakhmonov, a former M1-Global welterweight champion, claims with a victory over Simponsvilla native, Thompson in two weeks’ time at UFC 296, will prepare him for a long-anticipated and pegged title opportunity.
“Nobody won [against] him (Stephen Thompson) in standing game, but of course, I mentioned that sometimes he missed shots,” Shavkat Rakhmonov told Morning Kombat through an interpreter during a recent interview. “I never see him lose by choke. Only one time I remember Anthony Pettis won by knockout.”
“I don’t know, it depends on what the UFC says, but I think Belal Muhammad also deserves the title shot,” Shavkat Rakhmonov explained. “As of now, he will [be] backup [for] this fight [between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington], but of course I’m ready.”
Over the course of his brief Octagon tenure, fan-faovrite Uzbekistan finisher, Rakhmonov has latched onto stunning wins over Alex Oliveira, Michel Prazeres, Carlston Harris, Neil Magny, and the above-mentioned, Neal.
Do you think Shavkat Rakhmonov can win a UFC title in the future?
