Shavkat Rakhmonov calls out two-time UFC title challenger

Shavkat Rakhmonov called out Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson for referring to him as a grappler.

Before being matched up with Geoff Neal, Rakhmonov was connected to rumors regarding a potential fight against ‘Wonderboy.’ The matchup didn’t materialize, but Thompson was candid about turning it down. The former two-time welterweight title challenger wasn’t interested in fighting another grappling-heavy opponent.

After an impressive performance against Neal at UFC 285, Rakhmonov believes he proved to be more well-rounded than Thompson thought. ‘Nomad’ addressed ‘WonderBoy’ on Twitter by saying:

“Who’s grappler now? @WonderboyMMA”

Once ‘Wonderboy’ saw Rakhmonov’s comment on Twitter, he responded by saying:

“All due respect to you and your great performance but 0/4 on takedowns doesn’t make you “not” a grappler! Congrats on your victory! Let’s not forget you won by submission! But much love!”

Thompson is coming off a statement win against Kevin Holland, but the matchup against Rakhmonov now doesn’t make sense. ‘Nomad’ is now 5-0 in the UFC and will likely fight a top-five opponent next with the opportunity to earn a title shot. The 28-year-old also called out a different welterweight contender after winning at UFC 285.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov calls out Colby Covington

Shavkat Rakhmonov has earned the chance to compete in a number one contender fight next time out. After defeating Geoff Neal with a third-round submission, Rakhmonov called out Colby Covington by saying:

“I’m very happy. I’ve been saying one or two fights before the title shot. I’m ready now. You know Colby Covington, you are next or a title shot next.”

During the UFC 285 post-fight press conference, Dana White was told Rakhmonov called out Covington. He responded by saying:

“Yeah, I didn’t know that. Yeah, that’s fun, that’s a fun one… I’m not making the fight, I’m just saying that sounds fun. I didn’t know he did that [call out Covington], but we will see… Colby’s ready to fight. He’s ready to fight, and he’s ready to fight anybody. I know we’ve reached out to him for a couple of different fights, and he said yes to it, but it just didn’t work out.”

Covington last fought in March 2022, defeating Jorge Masvidal by a dominant unanimous decision. Since then, ‘Chaos’ has been dealing with an ongoing lawsuit against Masvidal for a physical altercation outside the Octagon. The former interim welterweight title holder is ready to return, and Rakhmonov seems to be a perfect opponent.

Watch Dana White react to Shavkat Rakhmonov calling out Colby Covington below: