Up-and-coming Welterweight Shavkat ‘Nomad’ Rakhmonov squares up against veteran Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC 296. The event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, on December 16, 2023. While the maid card is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET, Let’s take a look at the stats and analyze who is more likely to come through with a victory.
Shavkat made his debut against Alex Oliveira at UFC 254, winning by submission in the very first round. Since then, Rakhmonov has been on a five-fight winning streak, maintaining his undefeated MMA record. With a 100% finish rate, he is currently one of the most anticipated prospects for the UFC. ‘Nomad’ is currently ranked 5th in the welterweight division after his last win over 8th-ranked welterweight Geoff Neal at UFC 285 via submission.
Excited to to get in there and throwdown with one of the best!
Time to shock the 🌎 #UFC296 https://t.co/r822GEXiVL
— “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 27, 2023
The Nomad would be going against one of the best strikers in the game, Stephen Thompson. Trained in Jijustu and kickboxing, Stephen Thompson has been in the UFC for over 10 years. Thompson made his debut back in 2012 at UFC 143 against Dan Stittgen.
In his last fight, the kickboxer defeated welterweight Kevin Holland via TKO at the UFC in December 2022. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer would be looking to use his experience and technique to defeat the younger opponent, so let’s see how the fight is likely to play out.
UFC 296: Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson stats
Stats | Shavkat Rakhmonov | Stephen Thompson |
Wins | 17 | 17 |
Losses | 0 | 6 |
Height | 6’1″ | 6’0″ |
Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
Reach | 77″ | 75″ |
Age | 29 | 40 |
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson: Fight breakdown and prediction
Shavkat Rakhmonov has a professional record of 17 wins with no losses. Adding to it are the well-rounded abilities displayed by him, who delivered 8 wins by knockout and 9 by submission. The 29-year-old has been considered a future title contender and will take up his biggest challenge yet in the form of Stephen.
Stephen Thompson has an MMA record of 17 wins and 6 losses, with only one submission win to his name. Clearly, it can be said that the grappling and wrestling abilities of the sambo fighter will give him an added advantage over the kickboxer.
As per the UFC stats, Shavkat has an average strike per minute of 4.45 with strikes with 59% accuracy while absorbing an average of 2.61. On the other hand, Thompson possesses a landed strike average of 4.20 with 46% accuracy and absorbs 3.04 strikes per minute. This gives the Nomad another upper hand on paper.
On the ground, there is a wide gap between the two fighters. The Kazhak fighter has a takedown average of 1.49 with 100% takedown defense. Not surprisingly, ‘Wonderboy‘, who has never relied on his wrestling and grappling, has a takedown average of 0.27 with a 64% takedown defense. Also, Shavkat has an average submission attempt of 1.49 per 15 minutes, while Stephen Thompson has an average submission of zero.
Having fought the likes of Robert Whittaker, Rory MacDonald, Tyron Woodley, and Gilbert Burns, to name a few, you can never really count Wonderboy out. Having suffered his last two losses to grapplers such as Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, Wonderboy seems to struggle with the same. This might play a huge part in the game and the results.