Shavkat Rakhmonov believes he deserves the title shot in the welterweight division after defeating Stephen Thompson at UFC 296.
The two fighters fought until the second round of the bout, but it was later stopped by Rakhmonov after performing a rear-naked choke that pushed his opponent to submit. This affirmed Thompson’s earlier prediction, claiming the Kazakh fighter would “try to get the fight to the ground.”
The success has brought Rakhmonov new clean records of 18-0 in his MMA career and 6-0 at UFC. Ultimately, this adds to his submission record, which is now at 10, complementing his eight KO wins and nine first-round finishes.
With this latest win, “Nomad,” who is currently ranked No. 5 in the UFC ranking, said that his success over the “very tough opponent” translates to his right for a title shot.
“Stephen Thompson is a very tough opponent, and I was very happy I was able to finish him, and I think I’m worthy of a title shot,” Rakhmonov said through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “… I believe the winner of the title fight. I’m ready to fight him.”
Despite the callout, Rakhmonov admitted prior to the bout that “Belal Muhammad also deserves the title shot.” Muhammad served as a backup for the Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington at UFC 296. The fighter undoubtedly has the biggest right to challenge the champ, given his current winning streak and unfinished fight with Edwards in March 2021. Yet, with the prospering career of Rakhmonov under UFC, it can’t be denied that he’s already a worthy option in the title conversion and could soon outperform other fighters in the division.
