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Stephen Thompson issues warning about Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return

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Stephen Thompson issues warning about Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return
Shavkat
Rakhmonov shouldn't be underestimated when he returns,
according to one of the Kazakh's former foes.

Rakhmonov (19-0) hasn't fought in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship since defeating Ian Garry in
December 2024. While Rakhmonov was expected to fight for the title
next, he suffered a knee injury, forcing a lengthy stint on the
sidelines. The welterweight title has since changed hands multiple
times, with Jack
Della Maddalena beating Belal
Muhammad to win it before losing the belt to Islam
Makhachev, who successfully defended it against Garry at
UFC
330.

Rakhmonov appears to be making progress with his recovery and
Stephen
Thompson claims “Nomad†will bounce back even better.

Shavkat Rakhmonov remains a major UFC welterweight threat
despite lengthy absence

The long layoff saw Rakhmonov get dropped from the official UFC
welterweight rankings, effectively removing him from discourse
regarding the title mix. However, Thompson, who suffered a
submission loss to Rakhmonov in 2023, warns that the latter
shouldn't be underestimated.

Thompson notes that just because Rakhmonov hasn't competed doesn't
mean he hasn't been training. “Wonderboy†believes he will return
from the injury with a stronger mindset.

“Huge threat,†Thompson told Home of Fight. “The guy is very
skillful everywhere. Just because you don't see this guy fighting,
a lot of people think he's not been training. This dude has been a
through-and-through martial artist since day one. That's all he
does is train. Don't underestimate this guy coming back. I feel
like he's gonna come back even better, a stronger mindset, stronger
fighter spirit. He's looking for blood.â€

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MMA

Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

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Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

What’s up best community in sports? Hope you’re having a great start to the week.

Tomorrow (later than usual), we’re going LIVE with a special Between the Links episode. I’ll be in Las Vegas, and joining me will be the great José Youngs to answer your questions about UFC 333, the two title fights, RAF 14, and much more.

Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

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MMA

Alexander Volkanovski predicts wild finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev

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Alexander Volkanovski predicts 'wild' finish of 20-0 Movsar Evloev
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.

Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.

Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333

Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.

“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€

Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.

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MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

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Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

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