Shavkat Rakhmonov

Shavkat Bakhtibaevich Rakhmonov was born in Kazakhstan on October 23, 1994. He currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's welterweight category (UFC). Rakhmonov had previously competed in M-1 Global, where he was the welterweight champion. He is ranked No. 3 in the UFC welterweight standings as of December 2024.

Shavkat Rakhmonov's Early Life and Career

In his amateur career, Shavkat Rakhmonov won the WMMAA World and Asian Championships. In October 2014, Rakhmonov made his professional debut at M-1 Challenge 52, defeating Adam Tsurov by a first-round triangle choke. He would continue competing primarily under the M-1 promotion with seven wins under his name. Rakhmonov's remaining five wins came from fighting in his country's national MMA organization, Kazakhstan, Mixed Martial Arts Federation (KZMMAF). He would switch between the two organizations, eventually getting his first professional title shot against Faridun Odilov for the KZMMAF welterweight crown. He won the welterweight title via a third-round KO.

In 2013, at the age of 18, Rakhmonov became the amateur mixed martial arts world champion for the World MMA Association (WMMAA). He also became the Asian MMA champion for WMMAA in 2014. In the same year, Rakhmonov placed second in the WMMAA World Championship, losing to Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov.

Rakhmonov also finished as a runner-up in the 2015 WMMAA World Championship, again losing to Khiramagomedov. Khiramagomedov is the only person to have defeated Rakhmonov in MMA fights on two separate occasions. In December 2018, Rakhmonov successfully defended his belt in a fight against Rinat Sayakbaev at Battle of Nomads 11. Rakhmonov returned to M-1 in early 2019 and faced Daniil Prikaza at M-1 Challenge 101 for the vacant M-1 Welterweight Championship, which he won with a second-round TKO. In his last regional appearance, Rakhmonov defended his M-1 welterweight title with a first-round stoppage of Tiago Varejão at M-1 Challenge 102.

Shavkat Rakhmonov’s Career in UFC

Shavkat Rakhmonov signed with the UFC and became the first fighter from Kazakhstan to do so. He was originally scheduled to face Bartosz Fabiński on March 21, 2020, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rakhmonov was then expected to fight Ramazan Emeev on July 26, 2020, but had to withdraw due to injury and was replaced by Niklas Stolze.

He was later scheduled to fight Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on October 24, 2020, but Zaleski pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Alex Oliveira. Rakhmonov won this fight via submission in the first round. He then went on to face Michel Prazeres on June 26, 2021, and won via submission in the second round. Rakhmonov fought Carlston Harris on February 5, 2022, and won via knockout in the first round. In the first bout of his new five-fight contract, Rakhmonov squared off against Neil Magny on June 25, 2022, and won via submission in the second round. He was awarded the Performance of the Night bonus award for his stellar display.

Rakhmonov was scheduled to face Geoff Neal on January 14, 2023, but Neal pulled out due to an undisclosed injury. The fight between them was rescheduled for UFC 285 on March 4, 2023. Rakhmonov defeated Neal by a third-round submission to win the fight. He locked horns with Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023. Rakhmonov won the fight by a second-round submission. So far, Rakhmonov has an undefeated record in the UFC with six wins in six fights, all coming via stoppage, and is currently ranked No. 3 on the welterweight standings.

Shavkat Rakhmonov's Record

Shavkat Rakhmonov holds a professional MMA record of 18 wins and no losses as of December 6, 2024.

Last updated on December 6, 2024