UFC welterweight champion from Russia Islam Makhachev has commented on the possibility of a bout with Kazakhstan’s Shavkat Rakhmonov, İdman.Biz reports.
According to the fighter, he has no issues with such a matchup, but noted that Rakhmonov needs to reestablish himself after a long layoff.
"If Shavkat comes back, I don’t think anyone will be given a title shot right away. If they match him with me, I have no problem at all. But he hasn’t fought for more than a year, so he probably needs to win a fight to earn a shot at the belt," Makhachev said in an interview with the YouTube channel "Ushatayka".
Makhachev also spoke about a proposal from the UFC to fight in January 2026. According to him, he was not given a specific opponent’s name, but he believes it could have been Gilbert Morales. He added that a fight with Kamaru Usman seems unlikely in his view, noting that neither he nor his manager currently has confirmed information.
