Shavkat Rakhmonov Shares Insights on Islam Makhachev’s Move to Welterweight

Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov recently discussed Russian fighter Islam Makhachev’s decision to transition to the welterweight category in an interview with the YouTube channel “Vestnik MMA,” TuraNews.kz reports.

When asked about his thoughts on Islam Makhachev moving to the 77 kg weight class, Rakhmonov responded cautiously, stating, “Well, we’ll see, time will tell. Islam at 77 kg will also be a top fighter, in any case.”

He expressed curiosity about Makhachev’s potential success but raised an interesting point about whether he would defend the belt or return to his original weight class.

Rakhmonov found the prospect of Makhachev winning the belt and then leaving the weight class less appealing, mentioning, “But I would be even more interested in who the next challenger would be if he won and stayed. And for him to win once and leave is not interesting to me at all. It might be interesting for him – like, I won two belts there. If you win at 77 kg, stay. But he won and left—it’s not that interesting to me.” Rakhmonov’s remarks reflect his curiosity about the potential trajectory of Makhachev’s career in the welterweight division.