It wasn’t easy, but Shavkat Rakhmonov beat Ian Machado Garry on Saturday night at UFC 310 to secure his position as the No. 1 contender at welterweight and next opponent for champion Belal Muhammad.
Shavkat and Belal faced off in the cage following the Garry win in a somewhat awkward confrontation highlighted by security blocking Muhammad’s entrance and then some clunky back-and-forths due to the language barrier … all while fans booed the fighters for some reason.
Perhaps they had hoped for another quick and violent Rakhmonov finish? This was Shavkat’s first time going to a decision in his entire 19 fight pro career, and some fans were critical of his inability to handle Garry easily. That’s partially because Garry is better than people give him credit for … but also possibly because “Nomad” entered the cage with a serious injury.
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier let the cat out of the bag in a new YouTube video discussing the UFC 310 results.
“If I’m Belal Muhammad, I’m actually kinda happy watching this fight tonight,” Cormier said. “Because Shavkat Rakhmonov did not look like himself. Even though, I learned after, that he had an injury. I think he might have tore his MCL going into the fight.”
“Granted, with a torn ligament in your knee, you’re not gonna look like the killer that you looked like in fights prior.”
A torn MCL is no small injury. Not only does it seriously hamper your agility, but you could injure it worse competing on it. MCL tears come in multiple flavors: mild, moderate, and severe. A lot of fighters wouldn’t compete with any level of tear, which is definitely the smart choice. Going from a mild MCL tear to severe is the difference between a month on the bench and a year.
For his part, Shavkat Rakhmonov didn’t mention anything about a knee injury at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. He did give a timeline for his anticipated return, though.
“I’m the No. 1 title contender, and hopefully April or May of next year we’re gonna face each other,” he said.
Hopefully that timeline stands after the adrenaline wears off and doctors take another look at Rakhmonov’s knee.
