Shavkat Rakhmonov's Next Fight in The UFC

Shavkat Rakhmonov's Next Fight in The UFC

Abdullah Ouazri|
March 14, 2023|
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The hottest name in the UFC's Welterweight division today is Shavkat Rakhmonov. The Kazakh native has an undefeated record of 17-0 and a 100% finish rate. His most recent victim was Geoff Neal, who he put to sleep with a standing rear-naked/bulldog choke hybrid at UFC 285 this month.

His return may very well be the most highly-anticipated in all of MMA right now, and Dana White has given us some insight on who it will be at the UFC 286 post-fight press conference. The UFC is working on a bout between him and Belal Muhammad at an undecided fight card, date, and venue.

This fight takes place in the Welterweight (170 lbs) division.

Belal Muhammad holds a professional record of 22-3-0 (13-3 1NC UFC) and is currently ranked #4. His notable wins include Sean Brady, Vicente Luque, and Stephen Thompson.

Shavkat Rakhmonov holds a professional record of 17-0 (5-0 UFC) and is currently ranked #6. His notable wins include Geoff Neal, Neil Magny, and Carlston Harris.

Official odds have yet to be released.

Belal Muhammad is an all-gas and no brakes fighter inside the octagon. His winning streak is one of the best in the division, and he's unbeaten in his last nine fights, including a match with current Welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Unfortunately, the fight ended in a no contest due to an eye poke from Edwards. The streak continues, though, as Belal's rattled off three dominant wins since, capping it off with a standing knockout of Sean Brady at UFC 280 last year.

Belal Muhammad going to war with Sean Brady. Credits to: Zuffa LLC.
Belal Muhammad going to war with Sean Brady. Credits to: Zuffa LLC.

Shavkat Rakhmonov has some impressive stats of his own. As of tonight, he's undefeated at 17-0, with all wins by finish. He also holds both the longest winning streak in the division and longest finish streak, at 5. His last fight was a 3-round war against Geoff Neal and the featured bout on the ESPN PPV at UFC 285. With less than a minute left in the bout, he locked up and standing rear-naked/bulldog hybrid choke and put Neal to sleep as he tapped.

Shavkat Rakhmonov sleeps Geoff Neal. Credits to: Zuffa LLC.
Shavkat Rakhmonov sleeps Geoff Neal. Credits to: Zuffa LLC.

These are two of the best Welterweights in the world, and the winner here likely gets a title shot. Who do you think wins? Let us know your prediction with a comment.

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