At 17-0, Shavkat Rahkmonov brings more than a shiny record into his UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington showdown with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
In just five UFC fights, the 29-year-old Kazakh fighter has quickly established himself as someone that fight fans and experts have dubbed as a potential future welterweight champion. And for good reason. Rahkmonov has won all 17 of his professional mixed martial arts fights by finishing his opponent.
You read that right, Rahkmonov has finished everybody he’s faced.
Order UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington
This weekend’s matchup versus Thompson is a massive opportunity for Rahkmonov to showcase his talents in the spotlight that comes with facing one of the sport’s most beloved athletes.
Before Rahkmonov and Thompson lock horns, we look back at each of Rahkmonov’s UFC fights so far and discuss his rise.
UFC 254 – October 24, 2020
Rahkmonov wasted no time stepping right into the mix at welterweight against veteran Alex Oliveira.
Rakhmonov stood toe-to-toe with Oliveira for the most of the first round, winning in space and holding his own in the clinch. In the back half of the second round, with his back up against the Octagon fence, Rakhmonov maneuvered his arms into position for a guillotine choke and pulled Oliveira to the canvas. The choke was in tight and forced the tap before the round finished.
Jon Anik exclaimed, “Remember the name! Shavkat Rahkmonov with a huge win in his debut!” And the longtime UFC play-by-play man couldn’t have been more right.
UFC Fight Night: Gane vs Volkov – June 26, 2021
For his sophomore UFC appearance, Rahkmonov faced another UFC vet in Michel Prazeres. As soon as the bout started, it was obvious that there was a significant height and reach advantage in favor of Rahkmonov.
Rakhmonov made sure to use his leverage to prevent Prazeres from winning in the clinch and even scored a nice takedown off a trip. With most of the first round in the grappling department, Rahkmonov started off the second round with creative strikes that allowed him to get Prazares to the canvas.
From there, Rahkmonov started to tee off on Prazares until he was able to break him down and secure a rear naked choke. Prazares tapped and, just like that, Rahkmonov became the first fighter to finish Prazares in his MMA career.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland
After seeing Rahkmonov’s wins over Oliveira and Prazares, the UFC matched him up with another explosive fighter in Carlston Harris.
The two exchanged on the feet early in the first round, looking to find either a win or an explosive finish before clinching for a couple of minutes.
Then, out of nowhere, Rahkmonov connected with a spinning hook kick then put Harris down. He followed up with ground-and-pound and finished the fight. The announcers on the call couldn’t have been more complimentary of Rahkmonov, all agreeing he’s a future contender and problem at welterweight.
UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot
To become the guy, you have to beat the guy. In the case of Rahkmonov, he was tasked with beating the man with the most welterweight wins in UFC history in Neil Magny. He passed that test with flying colors.
Rahkmonov took Magny down in the first round and kept him there for the whole frame. He threatened some submissions, but mainly was pushing Magny to make a mistake. He didn’t make one, but Rahkmonov went back to the well in the second round.
Rahkmonov took Magny down and executed the exact same gameplan he did in the first round. He won the grappling scrambles while waiting for Magny to make a mistake and Magny did just that in the final moments of the second round.
Rahkmonov baited Magny to try to get up and jumped on the guillotine choke to force the tap with just two seconds remaining in the round. It was Rahkmonov’s first fight with someone in the rankings and showed he was ready to compete with the welterweight elite.
UFC 285 – March 4, 2023
The next step up for Rahkmonov was a showcase fight on a big time PPV event in a sold-out arena against a top opponent. He got just that at UFC 285 in Las Vegas.
Up until this point, Rahkmonov had really dominated all of his opponents, but Geoff Neal wasn’t going to go out without a fight. Neal brought the fight to Rahkmonov and didn’t shy away from doing everything that got him to the No. 7 ranking in the world.
The first round was display of well-rounded martial arts from both Rahkmonov and Neal, with each having success but Rahkmonov leading the dance. He landed a head kick that pushed Neal back to the fence and opened up a cut. It was a great round where Rahkmonov created a lot of damage at the end of the round before Neal landed a great shot to close out the round.
Rahkmonov utilized his body work to wear Neal down to start off the second. He wasn’t in a rush to finish Neal, but he consistently put pressure on and never stopped landing. Neal didn’t back down for a second, as he continued coming forward while displaying incredible toughness. In the second, Neal landed a great hook and the two stopped and smiled at one another. That’s when things really heated up.
Through ten minutes, the activity and damage were clearly in favor of Rahkmonov. In the third, everything went wild once Neal landed a beautiful combination that stunned Rahkmonov. It was the first time we saw Rahkmonov hurt in the Octagon, but he recovered well, returning fire and freezing Neal. The two welterweights just started throwing, with Rahkmonov mixing up all the weapons. In the center of the Octagon, Rahkmonov was able to get to Neal’s back and push him to the fence before sinking in a standing rear naked choke.
“17 up, 17 down!” was the call from Jon Anik.
What a showcase where any question you had about Rahkmonov was answered. He’s the real deal.
UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 16, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
