SUMMARY
- Shavkat Rakhmonov gives one of his most impressive performances.
- Shavkat Rakhmonov and his coach Henri Hooft share the news of his injury.
UFC 296 went down this past weekend and there have been a lot of talking points from it. Aside from the headliner and all the drama during fight week, one man’s performance went under the radar. After all, Shavkat Rakhmonov put in what was easily one of the most impressive performances of the night.
Coming into UFC 296, many felt as though “The Nomad” had been given an easy fight. Taking on a 40-year-old Stephen Thompson, it was assumed that the fight would be like a walkover for him. However, as it turns out, Shavkat was battling much more than just the #6 ranked welterweight contender.
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Following his win against “Wonderboy,” Shavkat was interviewed by none other than Laura Sanko. A self-proclaimed fan of him, Sanko has always been very keen to speak about Shavkat. As it turns out, Rakhmonov and his coach Henri Hooft went on to reveal that the 29-year-old was actually fighting through injury.
According to the coach, Rakhmonov had injured his ankle six weeks before the fight. However, he chose not to disclose the injury and fought through it to avoid cancellation. Understanding the importance of the fight with regard to title contention, Shavkat believed that the best course of action would be to push through and persevere.
What is next for Shavkat Rakhmonov after UFC 296 victory?
On the night, it was almost impossible to guess whether Shavkat had come in injured for the fight. However, he did make a much slower start by his standards, worrying some fans in Round 1. For the most part, the game plan was evident, to try and shoot for as many takedowns as possible and then out-grapple Thompson to submit him.
As it turns out, ‘Wonderboy‘ was expecting the same to happen. As a result, he managed to stuff the initial takedowns and actually looked as though he may be able to put up a good fight. Unfortunately, this too was short-lived as the Kazakh fighter eventually managed to get the takedown, and after a little tussle submit Thompson via rear naked choke.
Following the victory, Rakhmonov cut a stoic figure as always. Although he was expected to win, realizing that he performed the way he did with an injury is quite remarkable. Additionally, he was also injured going into his fight against Geoff Neal, winning via submission on that occasion as well. During the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White revealed what may be in store for Shavkat next.
Responding to a question about Rakhmonov leapfrogging Belal Muhammad for the title, White believes it to be a very real possibility. “Yeah, I mean the guy is undefeated, and everything you said (about Shavkat) is on point.” Although he is expected to get one more fight in before the title shot, it is expected that Rakhmonov will challenge for the title next year. With that said, who would you take in a fight between Shavkat and Leon Edwards? Comment down below.