Following Shavkat Rakhmonov's UFC 310 win against Ian Machado Garry last Saturday, UFC commentator Daniel Cormier revealed that Rakhmonov entered the fight with a serious injury.
After missing out on his undisputed welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad at UFC 310, undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov opted to stay on the card against fellow prospect Ian Machado Garry.
Fortunately for the Kazakh, he took the unanimous decision victory after an extremely exciting five-round fight.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Daniel Cormier reveals Shavkat Rakhmonov entered UFC 310 fight with a torn MCL
With both fighters looking to maintain their undefeated record, the fight did not go according to many people's expectations considering Rakhmonov's finishing percentage of 100%.
However, after the fight, the reason for Shavkat's unusual performance was revealed by UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
During his Octagon interview, the 30-year-old admitted that he has had some issues during his year-long layoff since fighting Stephen Thompson.
“I heard after that (Shavkat) was battling an injury. I think he tore his MCL in that fight. With a torn ligament in your knee, you don't look like the killer you used to see in fights,” Cormier revealed in a video on his YouTube channel.
After Cormier's revelation, Rakhmonov's actions start to make more sense, as he didn't look as dangerous as before.
Despite this, fellow UFC legend Chael Sonnen has put that down to Ian Garry's solid performance, and has backed the Irishman by claiming he has 'won in a lot of categories'.
Chael Sonnen believes Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov could be postponed despite the confrontation
The champion's withdrawal from the main event of UFC 310 came after he suffered a broken toe during training camp, which subsequently developed into a horrific bone infection.
Mohammed recently claimed he was considering amputating his toe after the infection got worse so he could stay on the map.
With that, Sonnen believes the title fight between Muhammad and Rakhmonov could be postponed, downplaying the extent of Muhammad's injury. In addition, it is unclear whether Rakhmonov will require surgery after Cormier's revelation.
“Belal has a life-threatening infection in his leg. Belal should not have been there (Saturday evening). Belal is too tough and brave to tell you that, but that's what he's dealing with… He can't do fifty push-ups right now,” Sonnen said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“That fight will probably be postponed and we'll see if we even get to that fight,” he continued.
Despite Shavkat's injury concerns, he admitted during his UFC 310 post-fight press conference that he hopes to fight Muhammad in the first quarter of 2025, with it unclear whether he will undergo surgery on his injured knee.
Related posts
Comments