What promised to be the most terrifying era of dominance in recent welterweight history could have come to an abrupt and cruel end before it even began. Shavkat Rakhmonov, the undefeated Kazakh phenomenon that terrorized the 170 division … pounds, today faces the most difficult fight of his life: that of saving his professional career after of a new serious injury which has led him to be removed from the division’s ranking of contenders.
Sources close to the fighter’s camp have confirmed what has been feared for weeks: Rakhmonov has suffered a serious relapse of his knee injury, forcing him to undergo surgery again at the beginning of this month of February 2026. The diagnosis is devastating: 9 to 10 more months out. This means that, in the best case, We will not see the ‘Nomad’ step into the octagon until the end of 2026 or early 2027. By then, more than two years will have passed since their last competitive appearance.
Rakhmonov’s ordeal began in his moment of greatest glory. His last fight dates back to December 2024, at UFC 310, where he defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision. Although he maintained his undefeated record (19-0), that night more than just his finishing streak was broken (it was the first time he did not finish an opponent), he injured the ligaments in his knee, requiring surgery and a long rehabilitation. Some time later he tried to return to competition and relapsed again.
Shavkat’s sporting tragedy is that he had all the ingredients to be a generational legend. With 100% completions until 2024, elite sambo and lethal hitting, he was considered the uncrowned champion. Today, the narrative has changed dramatically. The welterweight division is famous for not waiting for anyone. While Shavkat has been in the infirmary, new contenders have emerged and the belt has run its course.
The real fear among analysts and fans is no longer whether Shavkat will be champion, but whether he can be the same athlete again. Repeated cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries are notorious for robbing fighters of their explosiveness and confidence, two pillars of the Kazakh’s aggressive style. At 31 years old, he is wasting his prime years in a hospital bed instead of in the cage.
Shavkat himself has issued a stoic statement: “Every dream has a price, and sometimes that price is your health.” However, the UFC’s uncomfortable silence about his future and the seriousness of this second surgery have raised alarm bells. The world of MMA holds its breath. For now, the ‘Nomad’ continues walking, but this time, he does so with crutches.
