Shavkat Rakhmonov is inching closer towards an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title shot.
Kazakhstan’s favorite fighting son, Rakhmonov, was set to return against Kelvin Gastelum at Noche UFC in September 2023. Unfortunately for “Nomad,” Gastelum suffered an injury, delaying his next fight until UFC 296 inside the T-Mobile Arena this weekend (Sat., Dec. 16, 2023).
Rakhmonov, 29, will now square off with two-time Welterweight title challenger and perennial top contender, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. A win for the thrilling undefeated rising star would be his 18th and ideally, he’ll aim for a finish, which would also be his 18th. If that reality comes to fruition, Rakhmonov expects to leapfrog his fellow top contender, Belal Muhammad, in the title shot sweepstakes.
“I believe that if I finish Thompson, I should be up for the title shot and my goal is to win the belt and bring it back to Kazakhstan,” Rakhmonov said at UFC 296 media day.
“Stephen Thompson has a tricky style and I had to adapt to this Karate-like style,” he added. “Some of my training partners were imitating it and I believe I’m ready for it. I had to make minor adjustments because of his footwork, his kick-heavy style.”
UFC’s Welterweight division as a whole will have a better sense of clarity as to what’s next after UFC 296. In the main event, the title will be on the line when the champion, Leon Edwards, seeks his second straight title defense with a win over Colby Covington. Meanwhile, Muhammad is set to act as the bout’s back up fighter.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 296 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 296: “Edwards vs. Covington” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.