Shavkat Rakhmonov handled fellow top contender Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 over the weekend. With the co-main event win, “Nomad” secured his standing as the No. 1 contender in the division.
Now, we are finding out that the win might be even more impressive. According to Daniel Cormier, the unbeaten fighter suffered a torn MCL in preparation for the bout.
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“I learned after that (Rakhmonov) fought with an injury,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel (thanks to Bloody Elbow for the quotes). “I think he tore his MCL going into that fight. With a torn ligament in your knee, you’re not going to look like the killer that you looked like in fights prior.”
Rakhmonov had been out of action for several months coming into the bout. He was originally scheduled to meet champion Belal Muhammad. Muhammad, though, pulled out with an injury himself.
The bout marked the first time in 19 fights that Rakhmonov was pushed to the distance. He had finished the likes of Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny in recent years.
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Belal Muhammad Might Be Delayed Now
If the news of the torn MCL is correct, the odds of the title fight taking place in early 2025 are nearly zero. Rakhmonov will want to be at his best to take on the current best in Muhammad.
Add in the fact that Muhammad is still recovering from his own injury, and maybe a late spring, early summer time frame makes the most sense.
Assuming all of that comes into play, one would have to wonder if the UFC opts to create an interim title in the meantime? It would continue with the current trend of doing so while champions and/or contenders are sidelined for an extended period of time.
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