Shavkat Rakhmonov notched the biggest win of his career on Saturday, but it turns out he nearly didn’t make it to the cage at all.
Rakhmonov handed “Wonderboy” his first ever submission loss via a second-round rear naked choke on the UFC 296 main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This marked the 18th finish for the undefeated Kazakh in as many career outings, including six in the UFC. Having now notched wins over tested welterweights like Geoff Neal, Neil Magny and now Thompson, “Nomad” called for a title shot next.