Injured Rakhmonov claims Khabib and Makhachev would have refused to fight as he did

Shavkat Rakhmonov has disclosed that he competed against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 in December 2024 with a torn meniscus and a ruptured ACL, and used the revelation to take a pointed shot at fellow Central Asian stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and current welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Rakhmonov had originally been booked to challenge then-champion Belal Muhammad at the event, but Muhammad withdrew through injury. Rather than step aside himself, the unbeaten Kazakh accepted a No. 1 contender bout with Machado Garry despite carrying severe knee damage — and won a competitive decision.

“I actually shouldn’t even have fought Ian Garry at all,” Rakhmonov told Alf Global. “With injuries like that, I shouldn’t have fought at all, I just took a risk. That’s the Kazakh way. Kazakhs are very daring. They’re not afraid. If it had been some other Dagestani fighter like Khabib or Islam Makhachev, they definitely would’ve refused.”

Rakhmonov described the physical reality of competing in that condition, explaining that his leg was visibly swollen on fight night and that the absence of a functioning ligament meant he could barely register strikes landing on the injured limb. He acknowledged the margin of victory would have been far greater had he been healthy, while still crediting Machado Garry as a well-rounded opponent.

The 19-0 fighter, who holds a 7-0 record inside the UFC with stoppages over Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny, has been sidelined for close to two years in total after re-injuring the same knee during his attempted comeback. Makhachev, ahead of his UFC 330 title defence against Machado Garry, publicly questioned whether Rakhmonov would ever compete again given the extent of the damage.

Rakhmonov has not ruled out a return, targeting 2027 as a realistic window, but stopped short of making any firm commitment. “Time will tell,” he said. “It’s too early to say anything yet. I’ll do my best to come back and win the title. Time will reveal everything.”