Rakhmonov reveals worsening knee injury casts doubt over UFC welterweight return

Shavkat Rakhmonov has cast serious doubt over his UFC future, revealing that the knee injury he carried into his December 2024 win over Ian Garry has left him sidelined with no guaranteed return date. The unbeaten Kazakh welterweight, widely considered one of the division’s most dangerous contenders, made the admission in a candid interview with Alf Global.

Rakhmonov, who fights under the nickname “Nomad”, said he should never have taken the Garry fight given the state of his knee, but felt compelled to compete after a year away from the octagon. “I actually shouldn’t even have fought Ian Garry at all,” he said. “With injuries like that, I shouldn’t have fought at all; I just took a risk.”

The 170-pound contender described how the injury deteriorated during the fight itself, explaining that a missing ligament left him unable to properly feel strikes to the affected leg. “My leg was swollen. And when he was striking me, it was probably because I completely lacked a ligament. I couldn’t really feel that strike, in general,” he said.

Rakhmonov also used the interview to take aim at fellow Central Asian stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, suggesting the Dagestani fighters would have withdrawn from a bout rather than compete injured. “If it had been some other Dagestani fighter like Khabib or Islam Makhachev, they definitely would’ve refused,” he said, framing his decision to fight as a matter of Kazakh character. “Kazakhs are very daring. They’re not afraid.”

Despite the bravado, Rakhmonov acknowledged the cost of that gamble. He believes a fully healthy version of himself could have gone on to claim the welterweight title, a belt that remains within reach on paper given his unblemished professional record. “If I had fought, I could’ve become champion, but that’s how it turned out,” he said.

With no timeline confirmed for his return and the severity of the knee damage still unclear, Rakhmonov’s place in the welterweight title picture remains in limbo. He stopped short of announcing retirement, but his own words leave little room for optimism about an imminent comeback.