Shavkat Rakhmonov is going to have a showdown with his previous sparring partner Ian Garry at UFC 310 so this is going to be epic. Since both have a history and a pretty amicable one, this fight is making fans anticipate the most exciting possibilities. On top of that, both the Kazakh and Irishman have undefeated records with Shavkat Rakhmonov at 18 wins while Ian Garry has 15. So one of them will take the other’s ‘O’ and give it a number. Interestingly Rakhmonov has one loss in his resume to Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov, who defeated him twice in his amateur career.

A video shared by the Instagram handle ‘@blackbeltmma’ showed one of those two fights where Shavkat Rakhmonov lost to his Russian then-amateur counterpart. The post said, “Shavkat Rakhmonov’s last loss came in his amateur career against Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov. He lost twice in his amateur career against this guy. In this short video fight, Shavkat was dominated for 2 rounds on the feet and especially on the ground. He was still an amateur and only 19 years old and we all know what came later in his professional MMA career.”

In the fight, Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov can be seen repeatedly taking Shavkat Rakhmonov down, and keeping him there. In the video, ‘Nomad’ failed to mount any meaningful offense on the Russian, leading some fans to question Rakhmonov’s grappling skills.

This loss does not really put any blemish on the welterweight star’s professional career though. One reason why ‘Nomad’ is so heavily favored is because of his versatility and 100% finishing rate. He has crisp striking skills and his ability to overwhelm his opponents with his grappling makes him one of the most dangerous in his division. However, fans of the Kazakh were pretty astonished about the amateur losses, and also quite divided about it. Let’s see what they had to say.

“It’s over if he fights Khamzat” – Fans react to Shavkat Rakhmonov’s amateur loss

In 2013, at age 21, Shavkat Rakhmonov entered his first amateur MMA bout. After eight professional bouts, he met Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov where he lost a total of two rounds against the Russian fighter. ‘Nomad’ then racked up three wins before losing to Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov in his last MMA bout. Khiramagomedov is the only man Rakhmonov has lost to in his MMA career.

To start things off light, one fan jokingly posted the following comment, “Shavkat really hasn’t improved much.” As the aforementioned Instagram post suggests, and as us fans know, Rakhmonov went on to demolish all competition in his professional career. While undefeated at 18-0, ‘Nomad’ is only now entering his fighting prime, and if he continues his ways, could up becoming an all-time UFC great.

Another follower invoked the ‘three-piece and soda’ baptizer Jorge Masvidal and hilariously said, “He got cro**h sniffed to a decision. Belal is probably taking notes right now,”. Belal Muhammad who ‘Nomad’ was originally slated to face, has a wrestling-heavy style. Another netizen said, “It’s over if he fights Khamzat.”, invoking Rakhmonov’s failure to stave off Khiramagomedov’s wrestling offense. Khamzat Chimaev is probably the best wrestler in the present UFC landscape.

The Khiramagomedov brother, as their last name (similar to Nurmagomedov) suggests, might be from the Russian Republic of Dagestan, although he fights out of Moscow. The fan said, “Probably no one knows the Khiramagamedov brothers. These brothers are really strong fighters.” Interestingly, Khiramagomedov has a lifetime ban on from competing by the Russian Mixed Martial Arts Union (RMMAU) after he attacked an MMA official in 2017.

One fan pointed out something very peculiar – there was a time where Shavkat Rakhmonov did both amateur and pro bouts simultaneously – “He was actually already a 4-0 pro-MMA fighter when he lost that amateur bout.” One fighter joked at the size disparity between Rakhmonov and Khiramagomedov, and said the following, “Fighting a featherweight.”

Shavkat Rakhmonov has definitely come a long way since losing his bouts against the Russian Gadzhimurad Khiramagomedov. His professional record is flawless, and he’s shown his dominance against top names like Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal, and Neil Magny – all tough fighters at welterweight. How will he fare against Ian Garry though? That’s what’s left to be seen at UFC 310.