Overview
- Video from the NAIZA 80 event shows the undefeated contender using crutches and wearing a knee brace, with multiple outlets sharing the clip.
- Rakhmonov has been out since December 2024 after meniscus and partial ACL issues kept him sidelined throughout 2025.
- His coach recently said he would not compete before April and would need two and a half to three months of preparation, with no opponent yet offered.
- Despite the layoff, Rakhmonov remains the UFC’s No. 2 welterweight contender as questions grow about his availability.
- Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, claimed a senior UFC figure called Ian Machado Garry “boring,” with discussion shifting toward Michael Morales or Kamaru Usman, who faced off with Makhachev backstage at UFC 324.