Shavkat Rakhmonov UFC record: Has the Kazakhstan native ever suffered any defeats? Here are his closest fights 

Shavkat Rakhmonov is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon when he faces Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson at UFC 296. The No. 5-ranked welterweight has become one of the most hyped fighters on the entire roster due to his dominance in just five fights since making his promotional debut in 2020.

'Nomad' has a professional mixed martial arts record of 17 wins and zero losses. More impressively, he has finished all 17 of his opponents, with eight victories coming via knockout and nine victories coming via submission.

Rakhmonov has only entered the third round in two of his fights. The first instance came prior to his UFC career as the bout entered the third round before he could defeat Faridun Odilov via TKO.

After three more TKO victories, Rakhmonov made his UFC debut at UFC 254 and submitted Alex Oliveira in the first round. He returned to UFC Fight Night 190, submitting Michel Prazeres in the second round. 'Nomad' picked up the only knockout victory of his UFC career in his next bout as he defeated Carlston Harris in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 200 bout.

His next opponent would be Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 38. While 'The Haitian Sensation' nearly made it to the third round, Rakhmonov could pick up a submission victory with just two seconds left in the second round.

His most recent bout, which came against Geoff Neal at UFC 285, was the closest 'Nomad' has come to a decision. While 'Handz of Steel' reached the final minute of the third round, the No. 5-ranked welterweight was able to pick up a submission victory via a standing rear naked choke.

Check out footage of Shavkat Rakhmonov's victory over Geoff Neal below:

Ian Garry believes Shavkat Rakhmonov could become welterweight champion in 2024

Shavkat Rakhmonov has quickly risen through the welterweight rankings. On that note, Ian Garry believes that 'Nomad' could be a welterweight champion as soon as next year.

Speaking to Nik Hobbs of Sky Sports, the No. 10-ranked welterweight stated:

"I would say in the next year, there is a high possibility that Shavkat is the UFC welterweight champion and that excites me because I've trained with Shavkat. I know how good he is, I know how good I am. When we've sparred, it's an exciting matchup."

Check out Ian Garry's comments on Shavkat Rakhmonov below (starting at the 10:20 mark):

Rakhmonov does not appear to be far away from receiving a welterweight title opportunity. If he can beat Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson at UFC 296, the No.5-ranked welterweight could be just one win away from fighting for the belt.