Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has been on the sidelines for close to a full year. The current No. 3 contender at welterweight most recently fought under the UFC promotional banner on the night of Dec. 7, 2024 in UFC 310 from Enterprise, NV.
That late fall evening, Ian Machado Garry (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) was his adversary on the other side of the fabled Octagon in T-Mobile Arena. Although Rakhmonov walked away as the victor, he did so after he experienced a knee injury ahead of the fight.
A planned fight for UFC 315 in May of this year from Montreal went by the wayside due to his recovery efforts. This Saturday will mark 51 weeks since Shavkat Rakhmonov last fought in the UFC, but if an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show is anything to go by, the hiatus could soon be a thing of the past.
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Shavkat Rakhmonov Targeting Return in First Quarter of 2026
During the interview with Helwani, Rakhmonov, accompanied by his translator, revealed that he’s hopeful for a return appearance early on in the new year.
“The injury didn’t get worse in a fight,” Shavkat Rakhmonov explained. “[It was] the same scale of the injury before the fight and after the fight, and [at] first, I wanted to avoid the surgery and give a rest to the injury doing the rehab, but it wasn’t enough and then I had to do surgery still.”
“That’s why I’ve been out for a while,” he continued. “Soon, it’s going to be a year. Right now, I feel good and I feel healthy. I believe I’ll be ready to fight again at the end of February, probably March, so, we’ll see.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov Believes He’d Be Champ at 170 If Not for Injury and Recovery
A candid Shavkat Rakhmonov also mentioned to Ariel Helwani during the show that the UFC Welterweight Championship picture would have taken on a different form had it not been for his knee injury.
“Of course, I think I would be champion,” he said, “but you know, it [wasn’t] meant to be. Life throws different things at us, so we never know. If it’s meant to be for me to be champion, I’m going to be champion. If not, then no.”
Rakhmonov notes that he has been authorized by his medical team to return to active competition.
“I’m just trying to get back in shape because I’ve been out for such a long time. It’s not an easy process, you know, to get back in shape. That’s why I’m taking it easy, taking it slowly. I believe I will be in fight shape by the end of February, beginning of March. We’ll see how the training goes now.”
Don’t Expect to See Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Islam Makhachev Next
Even though Shavkat Rakhmonov’s dream opposition for his next appearance is Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC), he also knows that Makhachev has a title to defend when he next steps into the cage. Makhachev recently won the UFC Welterweight Championship on Nov. 15 in Madison Square Garden.
“Of course, I would prefer to fight for the title next, but I think this timeline isn’t going to work for Islam,” he said. “Probably, he will defend his belt in April, May, that time. Of course, if I can fight Islam next, I’m ready, I can do it. Also, I was supposed to fight for the title and I had a respectful reason not to take this opportunity, and I was promised also a title shot in the future.”
“If I have to fight before [a] title shot again, I have no problem,” Shavkat Rakhmonov reiterated. “I can prove again that I’m the No. 1 contender. I’m the rightful contender. Whoever is on my timeline and whoever is going to put me in that title spot again, I’m going to fight.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov Right on Cusp of Title Shot
Shavkat Rakhmonov has yet to lose thus far in his professional career. Although he had to miss out on a chance at the UFC Welterweight Championship because of his injury and subsequent recovery, he’s still very much in the mix.
As previously mentioned, he’s sitting in the No. 3 spot in the rankings at welterweight. If his return fight in the first quarter of 2026 results in his 20th successive professional win, he could be as little as 25 minutes away from becoming the next champion at 170 lbs.
This man has proven himself worthy to be among the elites in the welterweight division. Only time will tell, as it always does, if he’ll soon be the head of the class.
