Shavkat Rakhmonov has every reason to feel robbed. ‘Nomad’ had already earned his place at the front of the welterweight line, only for injuries to freeze his career while Islam Makhachev jumped straight to 170 and walked into the title picture. Nearly two years later, Shavkat is still looking at that sequence the same way a lot of hardcore fans are.

“Islam became champion. He started saying he wanted to fight Arman [Tsarukyan] back and forth,” Rakhmonov told Red Corner MMA. “He was doing some strange things. I didn’t like that. Of course, I respect Islam as a person, but the most serious contender, the one who deserved it, was me.

There is one obvious problem with Shavkat’s argument: he hasn’t fought since December 2024. But ‘Nomad’ doesn’t seem interested in hearing that excuse. In his eyes, seven straight UFC wins should have been enough to keep him at the front of the line, injury or not.

“Maybe I haven’t fought for a year, but I won seven fights in the UFC,” he further added.

Before Islam Makhachev even thought about moving up to welterweight, Shavkat Rakhmonov looked like the obvious next challenger for Jack Della Maddalena. The Kazakh was unbeaten in the UFC, tearing through the division and building a pretty convincing case that he was next in line. However, his knee had other plans, and just like that, his title shot disappeared.

And well, Islam Makhachev didn’t waste any time. The former lightweight kingpin jumped to 170, took down JDM to become a two-division champion, and then followed it up by defending his welterweight belt against Ian Garry.

There is no denying that Shavkat Rakhmonov respects what the Dagestani phenom has achieved at welterweight. But respect and fear are two very different things.

‘Nomad’ clearly doesn’t see the champion as some untouchable monster. Instead, he already has a pretty good idea of where he believes he can make Islam Makhachev pay if they finally meet inside the Octagon.

“I should be able to [takedown] defend myself quite effectively. I’ll do pretty well,” Rakhmonov told ALF Global. “I think my stand-up is better than Islam’s.

“I truly believe that I’m the toughest opponent for Islam right now, and he’s also the toughest opponent for me personally.”

That is a bold claim when you are talking about Islam Makhachev, one of the most feared grapplers in the sport. But ‘Nomad’ isn’t buying into the idea that the champion can simply drag him to the mat and control the fight.

“Yes, I will defend myself well,” he added. “I think my stances are better than Islam’s. The fight will show, but this is my opinion.”

The bigger question, though, is when Rakhmonov will actually get the chance to prove it. His knee troubles took a serious turn after his UFC 310 fight with Ian Garry, eventually forcing him to undergo two surgeries on his left knee.

After months on the shelf, ‘Nomad’ is finally back in the gym, but fans may have to wait until early 2027 to see him inside the Octagon again. And Islam Makhachev certainly isn’t going to sit around waiting.

With Rakhmonov still out of the picture, the champion has plenty of dangerous contenders lining up for their opportunity.

Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are both lurking, while Arman Tsarukyan could also push his way into the conversation if he gets past Mauricio Ruffy. By the time Rakhmonov is healthy enough to return, Islam could have an entirely different list of challengers waiting for him.

For the 31-year-old, though, the mission hasn’t changed. Get healthy, get back in the win column, climb right back up the rankings, and eventually get the title shot he believes should have been his all along.

And this is where things get even more interesting. Shavkat Rakhmonov might not be the only one who believes he could give Islam Makhachev serious problems.

Someone from the champion’s own camp seems to share that belief.

Javier Mendez claims Shavkat Rakhmonov might be the toughest challenge for Islam Makhachev

Javier Mendez has already gotten a firsthand look at what Islam Makhachev’s first welterweight title defense says about his future at 170. After watching Ian Garry push the champion in a tough fight, Mendez admitted the Irishman was a seriously tricky matchup.

But Garry’s performance also raised a bigger question: how will Islam deal with welterweights who are bigger, stronger, and dangerous everywhere?

Mendez has ‘The Future’ right near the top of that list. In fact, he sees the Irishman as the second-toughest welterweight challenge for the Dagestani phenom. There is only one name he ranks higher.

“My opinion, he [Machado Garry] is probably the second toughest guy that we’ve yet to face in the welterweight division,” Mendez said on Weighing In. “I think Shavkat might be above him, but let’s see what the new Shavkat comes through, and remember, Shavkat had a hell of a time with him.”

That last part is crucial. Shavkat Rakhmonov got the better of Ian Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 310, but it was anything but an easy night for ‘Nomad.’

‘The Future’ pushed him hard and made him work for that victory. Islam Makhachev later had his own problems with the Irishman before eventually getting his hand raised in his first welterweight title defense.

That makes Mendez putting Shavkat above Garry far more than a throwaway comment. ‘Nomad’ might have slipped down the contender pecking order while dealing with his knee injuries, but even Islam Makhachev’s longtime coach still sees him as potentially the toughest matchup waiting for the champion.

For now, though, Rakhmonov has bigger things to worry about than title shots. He first needs to get healthy and make it back to the Octagon, with an early 2027 return currently expected.

And if Islam is still sitting on top when ‘Nomad’ finally returns, Rakhmonov may finally get the chance to prove two things at once: that he really is Makhachev’s toughest challenge, and that he was the man who deserved to be in the title picture all along.