UFC’s Latest Welterweight Rankings See Shavkat Rakhmonov Leapfrog Ian Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry beat former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Qatar, marking his second straight victory in 2025, having previously defeated Carlos Prates on short notice in April.
After the UFC Qatar win, Garry replaced Shavkat Rakhmonov as the No. 2-ranked welterweight. However, the rankings have again changed, and now Garry is at number 3. Rakhmonov has taken his number 2 spot back and now sits behind former champion Jack Della Maddalena.
Check the updated rankings below:
Garry’s only loss in MMA has come against ‘Nomad’ at UFC 310.
What can the shift in rankings suggest for Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov?
The change in rankings suggests that Shavkat Rakhmonov may be the UFC’s next welterweight title contender, despite rumors that champion Islam Makhachev will face Kamaru Usman.
In 2024, Rakhmonov was slated to fight for the title at UFC 310 when Belal Muhammad was the welterweight champion. However, ‘Remember the Name’ withdrew from the title fight because of a bone injury, and Garry stepped in on short notice and lost to Rakhmonov. After that, the undefeated Kazakh phenom was sidelined because of a knee injury. Reports suggest that he will be back next year in February or March.
Rakhmonov has expressed his desire to compete for the championship, but has also said that he would not mind taking on another elite opponent to demonstrate his continued dominance and his number-one contendership. Nomad’ told Ariel Helwani:
“I would prefer to fight for the title next, but this timeline is not going to work for Islam, February, or March. He’ll probably defend his belt in April or May. Of course, if I can fight Islam next, I’m ready. I can do it. But also, I was supposed to fight for a title, and I had a respectful reason not to take this opportunity, and I was promised a title shot in the future. But again, if I have to fight before the title shot again. I have no problem. I can prove again I’m the rightful No. 1 contender.”
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov’s comments below (8:17):
For ‘The Future’, it seems that to have a chance at the championship, he needs to secure statement wins, as many suggest, citing that the Irishman’s decision victories, despite them being short-notice bouts, are insufficient to impress UFC matchmakers.
