In the last major event of the year, UFC 296 was a treat to the fans. Shavkat Rakhmonov gave the audience a fight to remember as he submitted Wonderboy with an RNC. Notably, this was Wonderboy’s 1st submission defeat. Amongst the various big name bouts featuring Leon Edwards, Colby Covington, Alexandre Pantoja and others, the most entertaining bout of the night seems is none other than the highly talented fighter from Kazakhstan.
In the bout, we could observe that Shavkat was unwilling to get involved with Wonderboy in a striking contest. Wonderboy was pretty intent on continuing the game off the mat. Shavkat tried to take down Wonderboy and get his back. He pushed Wonderboy towards the cage, mostly in the first half, forcing him to lose balance in order to engage him on the ground. Eventually, he got a perfect rear naked choke a few seconds from the end of the second round, becoming the first person ever to submit him.
Laura Sanko reveals Shavkat broke his ankle
As per @laura_sanko (via Twitter), Shavkat had torn his ankle 6 weeks prior to the fight and intended to pull out of UFC 296. He could not kick and thus, readjustments in the game plan had to be made.
👀@Rakhmonov1994 (and his coach Henri Hooft) revealed to me he tore his ankle 6 weeks ago and was considering pulling from the fight. He was unable to kick and had to adjust his strategy as a result. (Full video on my IG) #ufc296 #ShavkatRakhmonov
— Laura Sanko (@laura_sanko) December 17, 2023
Previously, Laura Sanko has been quite vocal about her support for Shavkat. She has always been full of praise for him. Post the fight, Laura interviewed Shavkat and confirmed his injury. She was very supportive and praised Shavkat over the eventful win. The fans are pretty excited over the win. The fans are in awe of Shavkat’s abilities, especially his ability to get the win, despite having ankle wraps. Moreover, the Kazakh fans are delighted over Laura’s support for their national hero. Shavkat seems to be building a reputation over the veterans too, with the Diaz brothers’ nod of approval and fist bump, backstage, after the win over Geoff Neal. In the pre-fight conference, Tony Ferguson clicked selfies and shook hands with the Kazakh star.
Shavkat Rakhmonov continues his unbeaten streak
Shavkat finished Wonderboy impressively, submitting him via a rear naked choke, taking his tally up to 18 wins, all via finishes. In the post fight interview, Shavkat has openly stated his desire to fight for the Welterweight belt the next time, regardless of the winner of the main event of the event, featuring Leon and Colby.
In other news, Leon beat Colby via decision to defend his Welterweight belt. It is an interesting future for the Welterweight division, as Belal Muhammad has also racked up an impressive record, sitting at 2nd in the division rankings. The possible next fight for Shavkat might be against Belal to become the number 1 contender for the belt, or against Leon for the belt.