The current status of a UFC fighter who is overdue a title shot has now emerged following concerns.
The UFC’s welterweight division is going to undergo some big changes in the coming months.
Islam Makhachev’s coach recently spoke about his move up to the division ahead of his title fight with Jack Della Maddalena next month.
It was also recently announced that Belal Muhammad will return in November to face Ian Machado Garry in the co-main event of UFC Doha.
However, there is still one other huge name who hasn’t been in the promotion’s plans throughout 2025 due to a lengthy setback.
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Rumor of Shavkat Rakhmonov injuring the same knee that required surgery cleared up
Fans reacted negatively to Shavkat Rakhmonov previously stating that he intends to wait for a title shot after earning one in his last outing.
While it looks like this stance may have changed, with Rakhmonov being linked to several contenders for a return early in 2026, a recent rumor suggested that this was no longer the case.
UPFRONT MMA on X claimed that 24KZ (A digital news channel in Kazakhstan) had reported that ‘Nomad’ had reinjured the same knee that he required surgery on after fighting at UFC 310.
Fans were once again critical of Rakhmonov when replying to the claim that he would likely be out for an even longer stretch of time.
‘He’s a bum and should be cut from the UFC.’
‘He’s the new Zabit [Magomedsharipov].’
‘Wow I pray this isn’t true.’
Dimash Tulegenov answered the prayers of the fans by providing an update on the rumor via vesti.kz.
He stated that Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, who he reached out to about the rumor, claimed that it was false and that “everything is fine”.
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Shavkat Rakhmonov holds the joint longest active win streak in MMA
It’s hard to see exactly how Shavkat Rakhmonov will slot back into the welterweight division once he makes his return.
With some of the fights that are coming up in the near future, the landscape could be drastically different by the time that he steps back inside the Octagon.
That being said, at 19 consecutive wins (seven of which came in the UFC), Rakhmonov holds the tied record for the longest active winning streak in MMA.
| MMA fighters on 19 consecutive wins |
| Shavkat Rakhmonov |
| Valentin Benishev |
| Movsar Evloev |
| Usman Nurmagomedov |
It shouldn’t take too long for ‘Nomad’ to find himself back in the title mix after everything he has already accomplished.