Islam Makhachev did justice to his promise at UFC 284, delivering a stunning victory over pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski in their highly anticipated matchup. Despite successfully defending his title against ‘The Great’, the Dagestani fighter fell short of his dream to top the pound-for-pound rankings. Nevertheless, Makhachev has proven himself to be a fearsome foe, boasting a 12 fight winning streak and leaving few fighters in the UFC who can measure up to his level.
And the UFC’s undefeated fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov shares this notion, too. The ‘Nomad’ recently attested that Makhachev is as tough as nails and there isn’t a soul in the UFC who can take him down in the octagon. While this may be true, there’s always a catch. Although Rakhmonov firmly believes that the Dagestani fighter is unrivalled, he adds a pragmatic element to his claim, allowing room for other possibilities.
Islam Makhachev is unbeatable “as of now”
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In a recent interview, Shavkat Rakhmonov discussed Islam Makhachev, who has been the subject of much discussion since his victory at UFC 284. The Kazakh fighter was asked whether there is any fighter in the promotion who can take him down. In response, the ‘Nomad’ praised Makhachev’s extraordinary abilities and talent but wisely noted that time changes everything, and anything can happen with time.
Rakhmonov attested, “As of now, I don’t see anyone beating Islam as any future. But nothing lasts forever and situation can change. But, at the moment, I don’t see anyone beating him.”
Having said that, Rakhmonov, who has never lost a single fight in his professional MMA career, is gearing up to face Geoff Neal at UFC 285 on March 4th. However, the Kazakh fighter’s main objective will not be achieved in this bout; rather, it is merely a first step.
Shavkat Rakhmonov aims for the gold next
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In a twist of fate, the Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Geoff Neal fight, which was originally scheduled in January, was called off due to an undisclosed injury to Neal. However, the two fighters are now set to face each other at UFC 285, where they will be a part of a stacked card headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane. This is the perfect opportunity for Rakhmonov to shine and make a name for himself, especially given his ambitious plans for the future.
In the same interview, when asked about his aspirations for a title shot, Rakhmonov answered, “Yes, I believe why not? Of course I have fight in a bigger fight if I’m gonna finish Geoff Neal, he is a very good overall opponent. And, [with] God’s willing, I’m gonna get closer to the title fight.”
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As the saying goes, ‘strike while the iron is hot’, Rakhmonov seems ready to take advantage of this opportunity. And given his undefeated record, for him to aim for a title shot and perhaps even prevail in the pursuit shouldn’t come off as a surprise.
Watch the story: UFC 284: Fighters React To Volkanovski Vs. Makhachev Controversial Decision
