Shavkat Rakhmonov sees himself as the clear No. 1 contender and next in line for a welterweight title opportunity.
With an 18-0 record and a 100% finish rate, it would be difficult to disagree. Since storming onto the UFC scene four years ago, ‘Nomad’ has laid waste to every man the promotion has put in front of him, including division mainstays Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
On the cusp of his first UFC title opportunity, Rakhmonov firmly believes there is nobody more deserving than himself. That includes ex-titleholderKamaru Usman who recently lobbied for a shot against newly minted welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.
“UFC thinks that I’m the No.1 contender and I should be next,” Rakhmonov told Submission Radio. “Because there’s no [other] clear contender anyway. I got 100% finishes, all wins on the UFC. So I rightfully should be next. Everyone else [is] also very close but I think they need couple of wins to get this title shot. So I should be next… For me I’m actually ready any time.
“So before the end of the year or whenever UFC wants to organize this fight, whenever Belal is ready. This year, early next year, I don’t care. I’m ready to win this belt and bring it back to Kazakhstan” (h/t Sherdog).
Furthermore, ‘Nomad’ thinks Usman should be ashamed of himself for even mentioning a title fight following a trio of losses in his last three outings.
”I don’t know what he [Usman] is thinking about, I think it’s kind of a shame ask for a title shot after losing three fights straight, like in my head I cannot get my head around it,’”Rakhmonov added.
Shavkat Rakhmonov doubles Down on X
In case his comments weren’t clear enough, Rakhmonov took to social media to make his case once again.
”18-0 with 100% finishes or 0-3 in the last three fights,” Rakhmonov wrote on X. “I think there should be no question who fights next for the title”
Kamaru Usman’s decade-long unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt in August 2022 following Leon Edwards’ kick heard ’round the world at UFC 278. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ failed to reclaim the welterweight crown in an immediate rematch, suffering a unanimous decision loss against ‘Rocky’ seven months later.
The last time we saw Usman inside the Octagon was on October 2023 when he stepped in for a short-notice scrap with Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi. Usman lost the bout via majority decision.
