In Denial of Dana White’s Undefeated Prospect, Skeptical Concerns on Shavkat Rakhmonov Raised by 170 lbs Rival Ahead of UFC 296 Stephen Thompson Fight

An undefeated record in MMA is really something special. As GSP so eloquently told Joe Rogan, you can get knocked out if you ‘zig when you should have zagged.’ It really is an achievement to be undefeated. Not to mention one cannot duck or handpick their opponents, which many say is a common practice in boxing, since the promotion does matchmaking.

This is why one has to be an excellent fighter (or really, really lucky) to remain undefeated in the UFC. However, in a conversation with MMA Junkie, UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad revealed his skepticism about the abilities of undefeated fellow UFC welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Belal Muhammad thinks Shavkat Rakhmonov is overrated

Belal Muhammad was asked about the upcoming Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Stephen Thompson welterweight bout scheduled for UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by the welterweight title bout between challenger Colby Covington and champion Leon Edwards. 

The Palestinian felt that Rakhmonov’s wrestling ability was being overestimated. But, he added that the Kazakh is a great fighter overall with good striking. “I think people are like underestimating or overestimating Shavkat’s wrestling. Obviously, he’s a great fighter, [a] great striker. His jiu-jitsu was really good,” Muhammad told the interviewer.

Muhammad observed that the undefeated fighter was not keen on wrestling unless his opponents took the initiative to take him to the ground. “But we really haven’t seen him offensive wrestling unless guys are like bringing it toward him,” he added. Further, ‘Remember The Name’ also had a few warnings for ‘Nomad’ about Stephen Thompson.

Also Read: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson Reveals Conor McGregor’s Strange “Superpower” After Meeting Him

Muhammad thinks Rakhamonov vs. Thompson will be close

Muhammad predicted that ‘Wonderboy’, an elite-level striker, was not going to challenge Rakhmonov on the ground. He predicted that the bout would be much closer than most expected and that Thompson would be a tough match for the Kazakh. One would be wise to heed Muhammad’s prediction since he completely neutralized ‘Wonderboy’ in their fight, thanks to his wrestling skills.

“I don’t think Wonderboy’s gonna be bringing any wrestling toward him at all. So, I think it’ll be more of a striking fight and I think Wonderboy is one of the best strikers in the world. So I think it’ll be a tougher matchup than a lot of people are expecting. But, you know, Shavkat’s really good and he always figures out ways to win,” Muhammad added.

Some are seeing the UFC’s decision to make Wonderboy vs. Rakhmonov as somehow a punishment for UFC 291. The American had refused to fight Michel Pereira on the card after the latter missed weight, displeasing Dana White and the UFC. The promotion refused to pay Thompson his show money for the event, displeasing analysts, fans, and other fighters.

However, it seems the UFC is coming good and will be paying Thompson extra for his UFC 296 match to make up for the deficit. Who do you think will win in the bout between Rakhmonov and ‘Wonderboy’? Let us know in the comments section below.

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