Tag: Shavkat Rakhmonov

Michael Bisping suggests Leon Edwards step in against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310

Michael Bisping believes former UFC champ Leon Edwards has everything to gain by stepping in vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] believes [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] has everything to gain by stepping in vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in the UFC 310 main event Dec. 7 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas, but a foot infection forced Muhammad out of the bout. Rakhmonov wants to remain on the card and preferably compete for the interim welterweight title. Rakhmonov lobbied for former champion Kamaru Usman, but Bisping pitched a different idea – Edwards (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who lost his welterweight title to Muhammad at UFC 304 in July.

“For Leon Edwards, this does everything,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “You beat Shavkat Rakhmonov, you are the man. You step up, you are the man. You beat this man that’s finishing everybody, what does that do for you? Well, then you’re right back in the title conversation. In fact, you will be probably getting a rematch against Belal Muhammad, and they will probably do that in America

“So, there wouldn’t be that crazy time difference, and that was what Leon pointed to. … He wants to get his hands on Belal Muhammad once again. He wants to right the wrongs. He wants to prove to the world and to himself that he’s the better man. But more importantly, to get back to becoming the welterweight champion of the world.”

Edwards has remained silent for the most part since his title loss to Muhammad but immediately after the fight, he vowed to “get this back in blood.” Bisping doesn’t see a need for an interim title, and neither does Muhammad, who said he’ll only need six weeks to recover.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Based on past training sessions, Shavkat Rakhmonov ‘pretty confident’ in potential Ian Machado Garry fight

Shavkat Rakhmonov explains why he’s not worried about a future showdown with Ian Machado Garry.

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] is not worried about a future showdown with [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag].

When welterweight champion Belal Muhammad withdrew from his title defense against Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 310 on Dec. 7 due to a bone infection, Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) campaigned to fight Rakhmonov on the same card. However, shortly after, the promotion announced that Machado Garry will face Joaquin Buckley (20-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 63 headliner on Dec. 14 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

If a fight between Rakhmonov and his former Kill Cliff FC teammate ever does materialize, their history makes “Nomad” confident.

“To be honest, I don’t care,” Rakhmonov said through an interpreter on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I’m ready if it’s going to be him after he wins his next fight. If it is, it could be good for both of us. We can do it. If he wants to try and take my zero, he can try, but I know the same thing is going to happen that’s happened in the training.

“I’m going to just keep it the same way, and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to beat him. … You know, it’s just training. I don’t want to praise myself too much. It’s just training, but I feel comfortable with how the training went. Whether it was striking or the ground, I felt comfortable and in control. So, I’m pretty confident in this matchup.”

Rakhmonov is currently lobbying for an interim title fight against Kamaru Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC), but the UFC is yet to announce a replacement fight.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Overreaction Time: UFC drops the ball, Colby Covington’s time up, DDP makes a big mistake, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Mike Bohn cover big UFC event developments and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC dropped the ball by not booking [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] at UFC 310.
  • [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] should be cut from the UFC.
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] has another UFC flyweight title run in him – and this one will last a while.
  • [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] wanting [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] instead of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is a big mistake.
  • Just a reminder: [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] has no chance of beating [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Shavkat Rakhmonov lobbies for UFC 310 interim title fight vs. Kamaru Usman

Shavkat Rakhmonov is willing to save UFC 310, preferably by fighting for the interim welterweight title.

[autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] is willing to save UFC 310, preferably by fighting for the interim welterweight title.

Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to challenge champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the Dec. 7 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but Muhammad was forced out due to a bone infection in his foot.

Having not competed since submitting Stephen Thompson this past December at UFC 296, undefeated Rakhmonov is eager for his title opportunity. He suggested an interim welterweight title fight vs. former champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC).

“I believe there are worthy opponents available,” Rakhmonov said through an interpreter on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I’m ready to save the card too if it’s for the interim belt. I believe Usman is a worthy opponent who’s going to be ready to jump in to face me.”

Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov, revealed that the UFC is currently working on finding him an opponent for UFC 310.

“Right now, negotiations are going on,” Abdrakhmanov said. “Obviously there’s talking. I don’t know if they are talking to someone else, but I’m sure they offered it to Kamaru, too.”

Muhammad dismissed the idea of an interim title, claiming that he only needs six weeks to heal. Rakhmonov expects Muhammad to be out for longer than that and thinks winning the interim belt would only make their fight bigger.

“We don’t know when Belal is going to be back,” Rakhmonov said. “These kind of injuries, infections, they might say it’s six weeks, but look at JDM (Jack Della Maddalena). It took him a lot longer. It’s good for Belal, too, because it’s going to make the fight bigger. It’s going to be champ vs. champ, so whenever Belal is ready, after I secure the interim title, I’m going to fight him.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310, Max Holloway’s move

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Brandon Moreno’s return, Belal Muhammad’s UFC 310 withdrawal and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 246 went down Saturday in Canada and left us with two key results at men’s and women’s flyweight. In the main event, former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] successfully returned to action after taking a break from the sport by dominating [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] in a unanimous decision win. Also, [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] outpointed [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] in a hard-fought decision to cement herself as a top title contender. What happens next? We discuss.
  • Bad news. UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] suffered a foot injury and was forced out of his title bout against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 310. This leaves a big hole to fill since the bout was scheduled to headline the final pay-per-view of the year. Should the UFC implement an interim title? If so, who should fight for it? We react to Muhammad’s injury and how it impacts both UFC 310 and the welterweight division.  
  • A lot of news went down this past week, including fight bookings and retirements. Former UFC champion [autotag]Germaine de Randamie[/autotag] announced her retirement from the sport; the UFC booked a key welterweight bout between [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] and [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] for December; and featherweight all-time great [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] revealed he is moving back up to lightweight. We analyze those headlines and more.
  • We close out the show by previewing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 247 event in Las Vegas. We break down the welterweight bout between [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and rising contender [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] headlining the card, along with other standout bouts.

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Champ Belal Muhammad injured, out of UFC 310 title fight; Shavkhat Rakhmonov reacts

UFC 310 has taken a major hit after Belal Muhammad was forced to withdraw because of a “bone infection” in his foot.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

UFC 310 has taken a major hit as welterweight champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] is out of his Dec. 7 title fight against [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Muhammad announced the news Thursday, posting a video of himself on Instagram in which he’s laying in a hospital bed. Muhammad said he “caught a bone infection” in his foot and also included photos. He can’t perform physical activity for the next six weeks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBys-ptRw6w/?img_index=6

Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) vs. Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was slated to headline UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+). Benny P on X was first to report Muhammad was out before the champ’s announcement.

It’s unclear if Rakhmonov will stay on the card, but the top contender posted on X that he’s open to fighting anyone for an interim title.

Muhammad was looking to make a relatively quick turnaround after capturing the welterweight title with an impressive win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in July. Muhammad is unbeaten in his past 11 fights.

Undefeated in his pro MMA career, Rakhmonov boasts a 100 percent finish rate. He most recently submitted former title challenger Stephen Thompson in the second round at UFC 296 in December.

With the change, the current UFC 310 lineup includes:

  • Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Asakura – for flyweight title
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. TBA
  • Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin
  • Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
  • Cody Durden vs. Joshua Van
  • Martin Buday vs. Rizvan Kuniev
  • Bryan Battle vs. Randy Brown
  • Lukasz Brzeski vs. Tallison Teixeira

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Video: Reacting to Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov, Pantoja vs. Asakura title-fight bookings at UFC 310

What to make of the recent UFC 310 title-fight bookings? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

The final UFC pay-per-view of the year officially has its main and co-main events.

Last week, UFC CEO Dana White announced a pair of title fights that will headline the Dec. 7 event in Las Vegas as [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] and [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] will get top billing for UFC 310.

Were these the right fights to make in each respective division? Who will emerge as champions that night? How do we feel about Asakura getting a title shot in his promotional debut?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss the welterweight and flyweight championship fights booked for UFC 310, along with how they set up each division.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/hQw_JxC0qM8

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Mike Valle: Shavkat Rakhmonov ‘a great code to crack’ for Belal Muhammad at UFC 310

Mike Valle is excited for the challenge of helping Belal Muhammad hand Shavkat Rakhmonov his first loss.

[autotag]Mike Valle[/autotag] is excited for the challenge of helping [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] hand [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] his first loss.

Welterweight champion Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) makes his first title defense against Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 310 headliner on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Valle knows what it’s like to coach underdogs to a world title, where he’s recently been in the corner for Muhammad’s title win over Leon Edwards at UFC 304, then Julianna Peña’s title win over Raquel Pennington at UFC 307.

“It’s a great challenge,” Valle told MMA Junkie. “It’s a great code to crack. I can’t wait for it. There’s all this hype behind him and he’s a great guy. He’s a great fighter, too. Belal is unreal, too. He’s the best in the world at fighting.

“And he’s the best in the world at going back, going sideways, putting pressure, not going to the ground. So it doesn’t matter where the fight may take place. He’s willing to go forward, go back, go to the side, fight on top, fight behind. It really doesn’t scare us. Whatever it is, let’s go.”

It’s been a long road for Muhammad, who had to go on a 10-fight unbeaten streak to finally earn his title shot. Valle says he knew from the start that Muhammad had championship potential.

“It’s been a journey with him, and whenever I saw Belal walk in for the first time in my gym, I told him, ‘Dude, you’re going to be a world champion,'” Valle said. “I mean that. That was the first time I saw him there: ‘You’re going to be a world champion’ because I saw something in his eyes and his work ethic. … He’s nonstop. It’s been a journey for him. He’s worked hard for that journey, and I’m so proud of him.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Michael Chiesa makes case for Belal Muhammad against ‘boogeyman’ Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310

UFC analysts Michael Chiesa and Alan Jouban previewed Belal Muhammad vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov.

UFC analysts [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Alan Jouban[/autotag] previewed [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag].

Welterweight champion Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) makes his first title defense against undefeated Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 310 main event on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+).

Chiesa, who faces Max Griffin on the same night, thinks Muhammad’s resume cannot be discounted. While he’s not necessarily picking him to win, he wouldn’t be surprised if Muhammad bounced Rakhmonov out of the ranks of the unbeaten.

“It would be easy for people to discredit and dismiss Belal because when you look at Shavkat Rakhmonov, 18-0 with 10 submissions and 8 KOs, (he’s) the boogeyman of the division right now,” Chiesa told ESPN. “But you look at Belal’s strength of schedule in his last six fights: Demian Maia, who was ranked when he fought him; (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson), who was ranked above the top 10; Vicente Luque, who was ranked (No.) 5 when he fought him.

“Sean Brady TKO’d him, took his 0; fought Gilbert Burns on short notice in a five-round fight, beat him; and then dethrones Leon Edwards in his own backyard. Before people want to dismiss Belal Muhammad because of who he is fighting, you just look at that strength of schedule and you’ve got to remind yourself: This guy is the champion for a reason, and I would not be surprised if he took Shavkat’s 0.”

Jouban, who spoiled Muhammad’s UFC debut in a Fight of the Night battle in 2016, thinks the champion has the skills to beat well-rounded Rakhmonov.

“Belal has proven time and time again why he deserved the championship fight, he got the championship fight, and he deserves to be the champion now,” Jouban said. “He looked phenomenal against Leon Edwards. Leon Edwards is one of the better grapplers in the division. He has outgrappled guys like Gunnar Nelson and so on.

“And Belal Muhammad goes in there, dumps him on his head numerous times, outwrestled him, manhandled him. Shavkat Rakhmonov though, this guy does everything well, and so this is going to be, I think, Belal’s toughest date. But I do think that Belal does have the grappling to get it done.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Francis Ngannou’s PFL debut, UFC 310, Topuria-Holloway heats up

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Francis Ngannou’s MMA return and PFL debut, UFC 310 bookings and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC Fight Night 244 saw the end of flyweight prospect Tatsuro Taira’s undefeated record. Recent title challenger Brandon Royval picked up his second win since he lost to champ Alexandre Pantoja this past December when he outpointed Taira in a hard-fought split decision. Does Royval deserve the next title shot? Where does Taira go from here? We discuss.
  • UFC CEO Dana White announced the headlining bouts for the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. A welterweight matchup between champion [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag] headlines the event, with a flyweight championship fight between [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag] and [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] in the co-main. We review these UFC 310  headlining bouts along with the overall strength of the card.
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] had a digital faceoff this past week ahead of their featherweight championship bout in the main event of UFC 308. The dual interview, organized by the UFC, had plenty of highlights and tense moments. We discuss some of the comments made by Topuria and Holloway, along with the news that [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] will serve as the backup for the fight.
  • Saturday, the PFL will put on arguably its biggest event yet – PFL: Battle of the Giants. The pay-per-view card features the highly anticipated return of former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag], who takes on [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] in the main event. Additionally, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] makes her PFL debut against [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] returns to action against [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag], and much more. We preview the card.

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