Undefeated UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is finally working towards a return after knee surgery delayed his climb to a title shot.
Shavkat Rakhmonov back in the gym following knee surgery
Boasting a perfect 19-0 record, Rakhmonov has collected seven victories since joining the UFC in 2020 and secured six of those wins via finish.
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“Nomad” held a 100% finishing rate in his career before taking on fellow unbeaten welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310, where Rakhmonov got his hand raised via unanimous decision.
The 31-year-old looked to be next in line for a welterweight title shot before announcing that he’d start 2026 by undergoing knee surgery. The news encouraged the UFC to shockingly pull him from the welterweight rankings, but a pair of recent videos shared by DAR PRO Team show that Rakhmonov has finally returned to training.
Who will fight for the UFC welterweight title with Rakhmonov sidelined?
Rakhmonov would be the clear candidate for the next welterweight title shot if he was healthy, but at the moment it’s a bit unclear who will be the first challenger for Islam Makhachev’s belt.
Islam Makhachev won a second UFC title at UFC 322. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
A former lightweight champion, Makhachev moved up to 170 lbs. at UFC 322 and unseated the division’s reigning titleholder Jack Della Maddalena via dominant unanimous decision. The 34-year-old is expected to return at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, PA, but claims that nothing has been finalized regarding an opponent.
It initially appeared that Rakhmonov’s former foe Machado Garry was lined up to challenge Makhachev following back-to-back wins over Carlos Prates and former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad. More recently, undefeated contender Michael Morales has teased that he might be the one that fights for the belt in what would be the first title defense of Makhachev’s second championship reign.
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