From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Islam Makhachev, Dagestani coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has been a rock behind many mixed martial artists to make a mark on the industry. Unbeknownst to many, welterweight championship contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is also one of those names.
Shavkat made his debut at the M-1 Challenge 52 in 2014 against Adam Tusrov and guess who was in his corner! Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
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While Nomad currently trains in his home country of Kazakhstan, he has previously been trained by the former lightweight champion Khabib himself. The fighter has also expressed his desire to train his striking at the American Kickboxing Academy, where the current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev hangs his UFC belt.
AKA, led by Javier Mendez, has also been home to former double champion Daniel Cormier, and hopefully, in 2025 hopes to house Umar Nurmagomedov’s new bantamweight title, if he manages to take it from Merab Dvalishvili.
wonder why Shavkat is so good? Khabib & Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov were some of his first trainers pic.twitter.com/6SIgr7cl3Q
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 5, 2023
AKA has also trained welterweight champion Belal Muhammad before his fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 304. Belal even credits Khabib for helping him chart the course for a victory in Manchester earlier this year.
So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Shavkat, who wants to fight Belal when he returns from injury has also wanted to test his skills at AKA.
But first, he must go through Ian Garry.
Shavkat vs Garry at UFC 310
Following Belal’s injury that forced him out of the title fight at UFC 310, Shavkat everyone and their brothers out from the welterweight division. While the likes of former champions like Kamaru Usman put the responsibility of making the fight on the UFC, Colby Covington claimed that he had offered his name but had been turned down by the Dana White-led company.
Shavkat later called out the fighters for not stepping up to the challenge.
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
However, this might be his biggest test yet. Garry is fresh off a win over Michae ‘Venom’ Page and remains undefeated in his UFC career, just like Garry. The matchup even has the approval of the welterweight champion himself, who while relieved that it’s not for the interim title, still believes it is an important fight given the state of the division.
” I think Shavkat and Ian Garry, both undefeated, both guys are right there at the top and they both called each other out before… but it makes a lot of sense and I’m excited to see how it goes”
Hopefully, the two can keep up with the hype and deliver a stunner when the day arrives.
