Undefeated UFC welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov has shut down Joaquin Buckley’s ‘delusional’ callout as he comes to terms with key injury update.
Everyone’s favorite MMA ‘Nomad’, Shavkat Rakhmonov, had been eying a potential number one contender’s fight in Australia against surging contender Jack Della Maddalena; but it seems like the 18-0 Kazakh will have to change his plans for 2024 after the latest injury news hit the airwaves.
Shavkat Rakhmonov shuts down Joaquin Buckley after JDM suffers injury
Following his comeback victory over Gilbert Burns at UFC 299, Australian contender Jack Della Maddalena called for a clash against the ‘bogeyman’ of the division, undefeated Kazakh warrior Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Whilst Rakhmonov was initially unfazed by the callout, writing on social media how “I respect your courage Jack, but you will face the same fate as my previous opponents,” that doesn’t mean he didn’t take it seriously.
In fact, a few days later and Rakhmonov’s manager told Sport24ru “Logically speaking, the fight against Maddalena is one of our next steps.”
Unfortunately, fans have now lost any hope of seeing Jack Della Maddalena vs Shavkat Rakhmonov in the octagon at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, after ‘JDM’ sadly confirmed that he’d suffered a nasty post-surgery infection to his arm.
“Had surgery on my arm one week after [UFC 299]; ten days later my wound had began splitting, which was indicative of infection… Unfortunately, this means I won’t be competing at UFC 305 in Perth.”
The 17-2 contender noted that he’s “planning to get my arm back to 100 percent, which if all goes well will be in 12 weeks’ time,” adding how he remains hopeful of fighting in the UFC one more time before the end of the year.
In response to the Australian confirming that he’s out of the predicted clash against Rakhmonov, the 18-0 prospect was called out on social media by Joaquin ‘New Mansa’ Buckley.
“Poor Jack Jack. F*** fighting in Perth but Tampa Card August Against @Rakhmonov1994 What ya think? #KillCliffKiller,” he wrote online.
In typical ice-cold fashion, Rakhmonov dismissed the callout as crazy talk: “I thought your Conor callout was delusional, but you’ve actually outdone yourself this time.”
Buckley notably called for a fight against Conor McGregor after his win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC St. Louis in May – which was slammed by almost the entire MMA community as one of the ‘worst of all time’.
With Rakhmonov currently ranked at #3 in the welterweight rankings, it wouldn’t make much sense for the undefeated contender to fight so far down the rankings in order to silence Buckley, who is sitting in the #11 spot.
So, if Jack Della Maddalena is a no-go for UFC 305, who could ‘Nomad’ face next?
The top of the UFC welterweight division is open to a ‘Nomad’
In truth, there are only a handful potential options available to the undefeated Rakhmonov as he chases a title shot: Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, or indeed the winner of the upcoming title fight between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad.
Speaking to Sport24ru, Rakhmonov’s manager noted that the only reason they were even considering facing the Australian was because the aforementioned ‘Chaos’ and ‘Nightmare’ matchups failed to materialize.
“Because if Colby and Usman refuse to fight Shavkat, we’re left with only Maddalena. Another option is related to the fight between Belal and Leon. If they are going to fight soon, Shavkat doesn’t plan to fight anytime soon either. We will consider a title fight right away. We have such an option.”
Should Edwards emerge victorious in Manchester in July, there could also be a chance for Rakhmonov to feature on the UFC 308 card, which has been confirmed for Abu Dhabi on October 26.
Immediately after his win over Geoff Neal, Rakhmonov told reporters “I’m ready for the title shot. And if it’s Abu Dhabi, it would be beautiful.”