Shavkat Rakhmonov is one of those once-in-a-lifetime fighters with an undefeated record, having finished everyone who stood opposite to him in his professional career. ‘Nomad’ is a well-rounded mixed martial artist with 10 submission victories and eight knockouts. The way he dispatched top names like Neil Magny, Geof Neal, and Stephen Wonderboy Thompson in a division as stacked as welterweight, speaks to the fighter’s skill and potential to go down as one of the all-time greats.

‘Nomad’ proudly carries the fighter spirit from his heritage, having been exposed to fighting and combat sports from a young age. Many are touting Rakhmonov as a future champion in the welterweight division. While he lost the opportunity to do so as a result of Belal Muhammad pulling out of the bout due to an injury, he still carries the momentum to get to the top. In light of the Kazakh phenom’s upcoming fight against Ian Garry, let’s take a look at the man responsible for his training camp in one of the best MMA academies in the world.

Meet Henri Hooft, Shavkat Rakhmonov’s coach

Among the pantheon of MMA coaches, Henri Hooft is a prominent name in the game, responsible for training some of the best fighters in the UFC. The Dutch-origin coach was raised in the Hague, Netherlands, and was always an athletic kid. Initially, a soccer enthusiast, Henri Hooft found his love of combat sports at age 15. His brother and he began training in full-contact Karate before the Kill Cliff head coach found his love for kickboxing, given the Netherlands is the home of Dutch Kickboxing. At age 18, the young Hooft was invited by Muay Thai champion Rob Kaman to train in Thailand, in the art of eight limbs.

Although Henri Hooft competed in kickboxing bouts in the Netherlands and Japan, he found more success as a coach. Prior to forming Sanford MMA (now Kill Cliff), Henri Hooft was the striking head coach for the now-defunct team Blackzilians, whom kickboxing world champion Tyrone Spong (who Hooft trained) brought in at the request of UFC veteran Rashad Evans. Founding the ‘H-Kickboxing’ striking program, Hooft is responsible for raising UFC mainstays like Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Michael Chandler (to name a few), and now Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Where does Shavkat Rakhmonov train? Was he Ian Garry’s training partner?

‘Nomad’ made his UFC debut representing the DAR Pro Team from his native Kazakhstan. However, for his second UFC appearance, the 18-0 fighter shifted his fight camp to the esteemed Kill Cliff FC (formerly Sanford MMA), sharing the mats with top names like the aforementioned Gilbert Burns, Kamaru Usman, and Michael Chandler. Rakhmonov even trained with his UFC 310 opponent Ian Garry, when the Irishman was a part of the Florida-based team, before moving on to Chute Boxe Academy in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

With both fighters having trained together, they are wary of each others’ moves, which makes the bout that much more intriguing. Despite being savage fighters, both fighters have extremely high opinions about each other, with Rakhmonov even touting Garry as a future champion. However, ‘Nomad’ also told Hooft that Garry would get the belt only after he took it to Kazakhstan first.

With so much at stake, including undefeated records, and a history of training under a common coach, Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry has the potential to be one of those storied bouts in the UFC. Unfortunately, one of their ‘O’s will have to go at the end of the night. Who will lose their undefeated status at UFC 310? Will it be the stoic Kazakh finisher or the outspoken Irish phenom? Let us know in the comments down below.