Future Champ?

One of the Welterweight division’s brightest young stars returns to the Octagon this weekend (Sat., June 25, 2022) at UFC Vegas 57.

Perfect in his 15 career bouts up to this point, Shavkat Rakhmonov makes his fourth walk in UFC opposite seasoned veteran, Neil Magny. With three consecutive sensational finishes in his early UFC run, Rakhmonov looks to add Magny to his list and begin his ascent up the Welterweight ladder.

“He’s a good opponent, a good test for me,” Rakhmonov said at UFC Vegas 57 media day (h/t MMA Junkie). “I’m ready to show I’m better than him and I’m ready to show that I’m better than anyone in the division … I believe I deserve more attention. God willing, I’m the future UFC champion. Time will show it.

“My goal is always to get the win,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how. Just for the judges or referee to raise my hand. Whatever it takes … I think full distance is not a problem for me. Most important is to get the win. It doesn’t matter how.”

Magny (26-8) enters the bout as the record holder for most Welterweight wins in UFC history and finds himself 5-1 in his last six outings — his last loss coming against Michael Chiesa in Jan. 2021. With only two decision losses in his career, Magny is typically someone who needs to be finished to be beaten and Rakhmonov — who’s never gone to decision — could add a big No. 16 to his resume.

Rakhmonov currently sits at No. 15 in the rankings while Magny is at No. 10. A win would presumably have the talented 27-year-old launch up and take the veteran’s spot. As UFC 278 approaches on Aug. 20, 2022, featuring the next Welterweight title tilt between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, Rakhmonov will surely be highly invested in the result, win or lose this Saturday night.

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