Shavkat Rakhmonov was supposed to get “munched” by Belal Muhammad at UFC 310.
Unfortunately, “Nomad” suffered a devastating knee injury that required surgery, sending the undefeated welterweight to the sidelines for what has now been close to a year — with no definitive timeline for return. Not surprisingly, the talent-rich 170-pound weight class
continues to move on with active contenders like Sean Brady and Gabriel Bonfim.As well as rebounding ex-champions like Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards.
“I think
the division has moved on,” reigning UFC welterweight champion, Jack Della Maddalena, told MMA Fighting. “If you stay inactive, you kind of fall behind. I think that’s where it is. Someone like Sean Brady has been so active, Ian Garry, these guys are very active. How can Shavkat stay in that top position when these guys are fighting? It’s a hard one, but I’ll just do whatever I’m told. Whoever’s next is who the UFC tells me is next.”
Della Maddalena, who defeated Muhammad for the 170-pound strap, defends the title against former lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, atop the UFC 322 pay-per-view (PPV) event this Sat. night (Nov. 15, 2025) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Brady and Edwards will also be a part of the “Empire State” lineup this weekend in the “Big Apple.”
“I think the next few weeks is a good time for the welterweights,” Della Maddalena added. “It’s all the top guys are fighting each other. The next few weeks, we’re going to see who in the Top 5, they’ll all pretty much lay out the order of who’s next. It’s exciting who the top contenders are. I think activity is key. You sit on the sidelines too long, you definitely fall behind.”
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