Shavkat Rakhmonov is currently eyeing for his welterweight title shot against champion Belal Muhammad. The undefeated Kazakh has finished all the opponents the UFC has thrown in front of him. In search of his welterweight title, Rakhmonov will not allow UFC superstar Conor McGregor to take away his opportunity.
While there is no official announcement, Conor McGregor is expected to fight Michael Chandler at welterweight limits later this year. Given his superstar status, there is a possibility that McGregor could ask for a title shot after potentially defeating Chandler. According to Shavkat Rakhmonov, the UFC will not be that unfair and do the right thing.
I don’t even think about him winning this one fight in three years is going to do something. I understand he’s a big star but in my head, I don’t see it being possible. I believe UFC is the best and the most fair organization so I believe they’re gonna do everything right.
Shavkat Rakhmonov via MMAFightingSBN
Rakhmonov wanted to fight Muhammad at UFC 307. As such, he accused the champion of ducking the title fight and being inactive. Muhammad won the championship at UFC 304, where he fought for five rounds and suffered severe cuts. In retaliation, the Palestinian-American fighter mentioned that he would like to see the title eliminator between Rakhmonov and Kamaru Usman.
Pertaining to the topic of Conor McGregor, the Irishman is currently on a two-fight losing streak. On top of that, his potential welterweight bout with Chandler isn’t even finalized. While McGregor has urged Dana White to make it happen in December, nothing concrete can be said about the fight. Given the relationship between McGregor and UFC, anything is possible for the ‘Notorious.’
When arch-rival blasted UFC for allegedly pushing Conor McGregor for a title shot
The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov could be the nastiest one in the history of UFC. Both the fighters hated each other and got to settle the score at UFC 229, where the Dagestani destroyed McGregor. However, to get the fight against the Irishman, Nurmagomedov had to wait for years.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov (via Imago)Back then, Conor McGregor was the biggest active superstar in the UFC. He shocked the MMA community by becoming the first-ever simultaneous UFC double champion at UFC 205. In the same card, Nurmagomedov fought and defeated Michael Johnson and called out the ‘Notorious.’ In the process, the fighter accused UFC of unfairly assisting McGregor to get the title shot.
I don’t understand how crazy power UFC PR machine is. Your guy beginning of the year tap like chicken, end of the year he fight for the title. This is true, this is not trash talking…I wanna fight with your chicken.
Khabib Nurmagomedov via UFC 205 octagon interview
After that callout, Nurmagomedov had to wait two more years to get his hands on the Irishman finally. Their rivalry gave UFC the biggest PPV in the history of the promotion and fight fans a night to remember. The blood between both individuals is still active to this day, with occasional online disputes.
!
