Rakhmonov attended UFC Qatar. In the co-main event, Machado Garry took on Belal Muhammad in a pivotal 170-pound clash. “The Future” defeated Mohammed via unanimous decision. After the fight, Machado called on Garry for a shot at Islam Makhachev’s welterweight gold.
Rakhmonov has since taken over his X account to disagree with Machado Garry’s claim that he is the most deserving contender at welterweight.
“No nonsense, just facts: Ian Garry lost to me while I was injured. He hasn’t beaten anyone in his last six fights and Prates almost stopped him. Doesn’t sound like a No. 1 contender to me.”
The comment likely won’t go down well with Machado Garry, who has shown respect for Rakhmonov since their UFC 310 clash in late 2024. The two even hugged each other during Garry’s entrance to UFC Qatar, but Rakhmonov believes there is at least one contender who deserves it more.
While many believe Rakhmonov would give Makhachev his toughest test at 170 pounds, injuries kept him from competing in 2025. There is currently no word on when Rakhmonov will return to the Octagon. He was scheduled to compete for the UFC welterweight championship when Muhammad was the defending champion.
Machado Garry recently appeared on “The Ariel Helwani Show” and said that as long as Rakhmonov is inactive, he should not be considered an option in the welterweight title race (via MMA Junkie).
“With all due respect to Shavkat, and I have nothing but respect for him, let’s talk about him when he’s actually back because he’s not here right now,” Garry said. “So in my mind he’s just trying to maintain relevance by showing up at these fights and being on screen and saying he’s coming back. But he’s not back.”
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