Shavkat Rakhmonov has not competed since defeating Ian Garry in the UFC 310 co-main event back in late 2024, and following a second injury to his already-damaged knee, we’re unlikely to see “Nomad” return before 2027.
Assuming he returns at all.
Rakhmonov, 31, has already been removed from the official UFC rankings and could be released altogether over the next few months. That’s according to Top 10 welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley, who predicts UFC fans have seen the last of the undefeated Kazakhstani.
“Not only did they knock him out of the rankings, but potentially they can get rid of him because he hasn’t been fighting in so long,” Buckley said on Overdogs Podcast. “He’s going to come up on two years. I’m going to make this prediction right now: We never see Shavkat again. The thing about Shavkat, he ain’t no content creator. It’s going to be to the point where the fans lose interest. They’re going to forget about Shavkat, I promise you. They’re just going to forget about Shvakat, and guess what the next move is going to be for the UFC? They’re going to send his ass back to Kazakhstan.”
Rakhmonov (19-0) isn’t the only inactive welterweight contender, but Buckley sees a marked difference between “Nomad” and the aging Colby Covington (17-5), a former 170-pound title challenger who’s been out of action since losing to “New Mansa” in the UFC Tampa main event back in late 2024.
“The reason they’ve still got [Covington] is because they’re waiting on him to waste his money because eventually he’s going to have to get paid, and eventually he’s going to have to get slaughtered by somebody — whoever they’re trying to promote to get into the rankings,” Buckley explained. “So that’s why they’re keeping Colby. At least Colby is keeping his name out there. He’s keeping himself relevant. He’s in the RAF. You’ve got to do these things in order for people to recognize your name, but every time we hear about [Rakhmonov’s] name, it’s about something negative.”
The 31 year-old Buckley (21-7) remains unbooked following his decision loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta.
