Our own among strangers

The news about another cancellation of the long-awaited fight for the UFC welterweight title between the current champion of this organization, American Belal MUHAMMAD, and the undefeated Kazakhstani Shavkat RAKHMONOV, came as a shock to MMA fans all over the world. More precisely, the title fight will take place and even on the scheduled date - May 10 in Montreal, but instead of Nomad, Australian Jack Della MADDALENA will fight for the championship belt with Muhammad.

The first thought that arose after such an unpleasant surprise: Rakhmonov was again thrown by the “bad rich guys” from the UFC. But it turned out that the initiator of the failure of this widely anticipated duel was the challenger himself, who, it would seem, had long dreamed of becoming the first Kazakh UFC champion...

In general, the championship fight between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov was supposed to take place in December last year at a tournament in Las Vegas. But the American suddenly fell ill. At first, many suspected him of simulating the disease, but after seeing the athlete's swollen toe, they believed in the champion's inability to fight in the octagon.

Nomad could have simply waited for Belal to recover, but instead he decided to risk his status as a contender by fighting the far from weak Ian GARRY. And he almost lost to the Irishman, winning in the octagon for the first time not ahead of schedule, but only by decision of the judges. The Kazakhstani, of course, confirmed his status as the main contender for the title, but at the same time slightly disappointed all his fans with a not very convincing performance.

Many thought: he is not such a Nomad and a monster. And if before the fight with Gerry, it was Rakhmonov who was considered the favorite in the future confrontation with Muhammad, then after a modest victory over the Irishman, the opinion on this matter changed greatly.

The champion, who had previously, let's face it, been noticeably afraid of the Kazakh, also perked up. He started shouting everywhere how he would easily deal with Shavkat, and indeed with everyone he would have to fight.

Who is good for what should have become clear in the face-to-face confrontation between Muhammad and Rakhmonov. They even managed to perform a stardown in the octagon. So even Belal did not expect Shavkat to back down...

So what happened? According to the official announcement, Shavkat Rakhmonov withdrew from the championship fight due to injury. Although there has been no video evidence of this, as happened with Muhammad. UFC head Dana WHITE took Shavkat and his coaching staff at their word, so to speak.

“A huge thank you to the UFC for offering me a title fight first. Unfortunately, due to injury, I won’t be ready for May. I’ll meet the winner later this year!” Rakhmonov wrote on social media.

What kind of injury is this? Where did it come from?

- This is an injury that was already in the fight with Gerry. We hoped that it would heal soon, but the process dragged on. Shavkat's condition still needs to be corrected. Of course, by this time we could have restored the leg, but we should not forget that Ramadan is ahead - we will not get a full load this way. We do not want to take risks, but want Shavkat's health to fully recover. And only then, without rushing, calmly engage in the title race. Approximate date of Rakhmonov's return to the cage? According to my calculations, this is most likely the end of summer, - said Shavkat Rakhmonov's coach Eduard BAZROV in an interview with the YouTube channel "Vestnik MMA".

According to him, the championship fight will not run away from his protégé. It will take place this year, just a little later. By the way, Dana White confirmed this.

"We tried to arrange a fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov several times, but Shavkat got injured. As soon as he recovers, he will most likely be first in line to fight the winner of the fight between Jack Della and Belal," White promised.

Few doubt that Shavkat will fight for the belt someday. But it is not a fact that it will happen this year. Firstly, whoever wins the May confrontation will then rest on his laurels for at least six months. So Rakhmonov may have to hold another challenger fight while waiting for the champion.

- It will be up to the UFC management to decide. It is an organization that makes decisions only in its own favor. It is a big business machine. Yes, we can have another fight if the UFC decides so - no big deal. We are already close to the title. My opinion: it is better not to rush, not to take risks, but to focus on training and health in order to come out completely healthy and realize your potential one hundred percent, - Bazrov believes.

Of course, if Rakhmonov really has such serious health problems, then he made the right decision. Although before he was not afraid to take risks: he went out with injuries against Ian Garry and Stephen THOMPSON. And won...

The danger of the current situation for Shavkat is that his competitors are not asleep. Leon EDWARDS and Sean BRADY will fight in March, and the winner may also become a contender for the championship fight. And there are also ambitious Joaquin BUCKLEY, Ian Garry, Michael MORALES, Carlos PRATES and even MMA veteran Kamaru USMAN, who is still at the top. And let's not forget about Islam MAKHACHEV, who is going to move up to welterweight to win a second championship belt. How can 30-year-old Rakhmonov, who currently occupies second place in the UFC rankings, not be late with such competition...

Of course, Shavkat is still the main star of MMA in Kazakhstan, but in some ways he has already been surpassed by 31-year-old Asu ALMABAEV, nicknamed Zulfikar. He will be the first Kazakhstani in history to perform in the main fight of the UFC tournament. Before him, none of our fighters became a headliner in the competitions of this organization.

Asu's flyweight fight with Portuguese Manel CAPE is scheduled to take place on the night of March 2 in Las Vegas. It won't be a championship fight, but its winner could even become a title contender.

Asu Almabaev is ranked eighth in the UFC. The last time the Kazakhstani entered the octagon was in October last year, when he won by unanimous decision over Brazilian Mateus NICOLAO. Manel Kape is ranked sixth. The Portuguese had his last fight in December 2024: his opponent was Brazilian Bruno SILVA, whom he knocked out in the third round. It's a big risk to fight such a guy. But Almabaev's coach Eduard Bazrov is ready to take the risk in this case.

- We need to move forward because time is running out. 57 kilograms is a division that young fighters are already storming. Asu is in good health. The training process and stages of the training camp are over. Now he is preparing in Miami. He is striving to become the new champion in this weight category. I think there are no risks for us in accepting a fight with such an athlete. He is in sixth place. We need to go up, not down, so I am sure that this was the right decision, - the specialist is sure.

According to Bazrov, he knows how to defeat the formidable Portuguese.

- Our game plan will be clear to everyone. We will not fight him in the stand-up, we will look for the keys through grappling, besiege him near the wall. We need to work as the first number. We need to wear him down. The key to victory can be found through wrestling, - believes the coach, who, it seems, is already betting on Almabaev in the UFC, not Rakhmonov.

Alexander TROFIMOV, photo from championat.com, Almaty