Islam Makhachev has been warned that another UFC fighter could mirror Ian Machado Garry for the biggest test that could be offered to him in his career.
The 34-year-old Russian UFC star’s last outing in the octagon came with the first defense of his UFC welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330.
Islam came out on top over Machado Garry during their main-event fight at the Xfinity Mobile Arena after a unanimous decision win in their five-round encounter.
The UFC welterweight champion extended his winning streak to 17 in the UFC and Islam has not lost since his defeat to Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in 2015.
- READ MORE: Islam Makhachev’s next opponent seemingly set as Michael Morales announces January return
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Stephen Thompson claims that Shavkat Rakhmonov could do what Ian Machado Garry couldn’t against Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev climbed up to welterweight and won the title on his debut in the weight-class division against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in 2025.
The MMA star had previously held the UFC lightweight belt before he vacated the championship after his win over Renato Moicano at UFC 311 in 2025.
Shavkat Rakhmonov fought Ian Machado Garry before Islam and extended his undefeated MMA record to 19 wins at UFC 310 in Las Vegas in 2024.
While Stephen Thompson thinks that a Machado Garry rematch would be tough for Islam, he feels that Shavkat Rakhmonov could be the man to do the impossible.
“I think if they [Machado Garry and Islam] fought again, it would be an even harder fight for Islam Makhachev, but he’s so experienced […],” he told Full Mount MMA.
“I still think Ian’s got what it takes. I still think Shavkat, hopefully, if he gets back and gets scrapping again, he could be that potential guy.”
Stephen Thompson is keen to see how UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov would stage an eventual MMA comeback
Shavkat Rakhmonov has not competed since his clash with Machado Garry and the 31-year-old Kazakh fighter has been sidelined with a serious long-term knee injury.
Thompson claimed that Rakhmonov is in the same camp as Garry when it comes to becoming a potential champion, despite the former’s current injury struggles.
“At this point, we gotta see where Shavkat is,” he said.
“I’m not really sure where he’s going to be on the rankings because he’s been out for so long. I knew it was either Shavkat or Ian Machado Garry to really go out there and become champions.
“You’ve got guys on the come-up right now like Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. Ian beat Carlos, so Carlos has to prove himself […]. I still think Ian Garry has what it takes to become a champion.”
Ariel Helwani reported on X in January that Rakhmonov underwent surgery on his re-injured knee and had been tipped to stay out of action for nine to 10 months.
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