After his dominant performance at UFC 322, Islam Makhachev is now being hunted at 170 pounds and has no shortage of contenders all putting their names in the hat to face the Dagestan native in his first title defense. The P4P #1 is without a doubt a terrifying prospect for any enemy. With his dominant wrestling style and skill on his feet, he is a difficult puzzle to solve.
Masvidal believes Shavkat Rakhmonov has the skills to do it.
Shavkat Rakhmonov can beat Islam Makhachev
Speaking about the Death Row MMA PodcastMasvidal discussed who he thinks could be next for the champion.
“If it’s Carlos, I’m happy. If it’s Morales, I’m happy. But we also have to add the monster of that weight class, the bogeyman, Shavkat. Shavkat is great. And that’s the only guy I think can beat Islam… He’s naturally bigger, a great wrestler, has endless gas and isn’t bad on his feet. He eats some shots to throw some shots, but he’s not bad on his feet.”
And he has a good point. Shavkat Rakhmonov is the most versatile guy in the division. Undefeated at 19-0, he has eight TKO/KO victories and ten submission victories to his name, going the distance just once. He has left the likes of Geoff Neal, Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny behind him and proved himself last time out against Ian Garry over the five-round distance.
The worrying thing for opponents of Nomad is that he doesn’t seem to have a hole in his game. However, there are questions about how his body would hold up during a championship camp. He has struggled with injuries during his short UFC stint. He has been inactive for 12 months following his win over Garry due to a number of different injuries. However, he will return in 2026, so let’s hope he can return to full fitness and be paired with Makhachev sooner or later.
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