Shavkat Rakhmonov is disappointed in former champions, Kamaru Usman, Belal Muhammad, and contender Colby Covington for allegedly flaking out on facing him at UFC 310. The #1 welterweight title contender also praised undefeated Irish prospect Ian Garry for stepping up and promised he would take the 0 out of this record.
I’m very disappointed in our division. Belal, Leon, Colby, Kamaru, Jack, Sean – you’ve all let fans down. The only one who backed up his words is Ian, and I respect that. But make no mistake, @iangarryMMA – I’m coming for your 0 and will fight for the belt after https://t.co/eE3Ps8aCoj
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994) November 16, 2024
Following champion Belal Muhammad’s toe injury that has forced him out of action for 6 weeks, the rumor mills had claimed Usman would take his place and fight Rakhmonov for the interim title as the Kazakh fighter had wanted to. A few days later, Covington had joined in on the debate, claiming that he had offered to step in but the UFC wanted to go in a different direction.
This seemed like an implication that the promotion was leaning towards the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, only for Usman to deny the rumors just days ago.
Chaos in the Welterweight division
The problem of surplus is a good problem to have. Take the lightweight division for example. Despite being stacked with new contenders and veterans, it functions as smoothly as one can hope it to be. Older guys like Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Michael Chandler continue their journey in pursuit of the title while taking on younger superstars or fighting amongst themselves.
They have a solid Top 5, with new fighters breaking in every few months. The WW division, in comparison, has been chaotic since before Kamaru Usman lost his title to Leon Edwards.
4 of his last 5 fights before he lost to Edwards were against Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. While promising entertainment, they resulted in a stagnant division, which Edwards ended up inheriting.
Edwards also ended up in a feud with Covington and had one most lackluster title fights in living memory against the American. Then came Belal, who promised to make the division interesting again by taking on the toughest challengers but an injury has now forced him out of a fight he himself sought months ago.
Now, one can only hope that Garry stands up and puts on a performance of note against Rakhmonov because if the Kazakh runs through him like he has done his entire career against countless opponents, it will once again leave the division in a lurch.
The WW division will have two top contenders at the top, former champions and contenders in the twilight of their careers in the middle, and a group of untested prospects to follow.
