Shavkat Rakhmonov’s recent update about the plans for his return didn’t sit well with the fans.
‘Nomad’ last competed at UFC 310 where Rakhmonov fought through injury to defeat Ian Machado Garry and cement his status as the number one contender.
However, due to his injuries, Rakhmonov was unable to fight at UFC 315, causing him to miss out on his second opportunity to challenge for the 170-pound title.
The undefeated star has been relatively quiet this year as he works on returning to full health before making his return to the Octagon.
After Rakhmonov watched Jack Della Maddalena dethrone Belal Muhammad in May, he’s still confident that he’ll be met with a title shot once he’s back in action.
Fans scold Shavkat Rakhmonov after he announces that he doesn’t intend on fighting until he gets a title shot
Shavkat Rakhmonov recently provided an update about his return plans and what he expects once he has fully recovered from his injuries.
Speaking to Ulysmediakz, ‘Nomad’ stated that he’s waiting to see how the next welterweight title fight plays out and that he isn’t interested in fighting for the sake of it in the meantime.
“The situation is difficult, I’m waiting to see who will fight for the title. Perhaps we’ll go straight to the title fight, even next year… I’m waiting. I don’t want to waste my energy on intermediate fights.”
Beating Ian Machado Garry in December did secure Rakhmonov’s status as the next in line after Belal Muhammad withdrew from their title fight.
However, Islam Makhachev jumped the queue when announcing his plans to vacate his lightweight title and move up which has pushed all the other welterweight contenders back a step.
With how long Rakhmonov will likely be inactive, and other contenders like Sean Brady also making a strong case for being a worthy challenger, there is a risk that he will be skipped over.
It seems from a somewhat surprising reaction to Rakhmonov’s comments on social media that fans are already over him being the rightful number one contender.
‘Cut him from the UFC.’
‘Wrong answer. You’ll do as you’re told!’
‘Cut em and put him in Power Slap.’
‘And this mentality is exactly why UFC is in a massive downhill trend. No one wants to fight anymore.’
‘No top 5 wins. No main events, fights once a year. Wants a title shot off injury.’
‘Waste your energy on fights ? Doesn’t sound like he’s in the right profession.’
‘He missed his title fight and the division has moved on. Islam and Brady are in front of him. Usman may be as well. You gonna have to fight bro. Better choose someone.’
Shavkat Rakhmonov’s position could become even more difficult if two top welterweights face each other
If Jack Della Maddalena faced Islam Makhachev tomorrow, it seems fairly likely that Shavkat Rakhmonov would be booked to face the winner.
The issue for ‘Nomad’ is that the more time he spends away, the more chance there is that another welterweight builds a stronger argument for being the next in line.
Sean Brady is hoping to face one of the other top contenders in the division, with whatever matchup is next for the #2 contender having big implications for Rakhmonov.
Of course, there’s also the chance that the UFC is always intending to grant Rakhmonov the title shot that he earned which also could suffer the longer that he’s inactive.