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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: Dana White shoots down $10M Misfits Boxing rumor, tells Eddie Hearn to meet in gym ‘and we can f*cking do it’

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Morning Report: Dana White shoots down $10M Misfits Boxing rumor, tells Eddie Hearn to meet in gym ‘and we can f*cking do it’

UFC 334 goes down this Saturday with two pretty damn intriguing title fights.

In the main event, undisputed* heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane goes for his first defense against, yes, one of the most talked-about fighters of 2026, the undefeated Josh Hokit. Folks, there’s a well-above zero chance that Hokit closes out the year as the UFC’s heavyweight king. Wowza.

Then you have the bantamweight matchup of destiny between champion Kayla Harrison and the GOAT herself Amanda Nunes. Where these two legends and the division go after UFC 334 is anybody’s guess, but this fight had to happen and it’s finally going down in Madison Square Garden.

So what’s your level of excitement as we kick off fight week?

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MMA

Andre Galvao says rules changed after he accepted Rousimar Palhares rematch

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Andre Galvao says rules changed after he accepted Rousimar Palhares rematch
Andre
Galvao is embracing a daunting challenge as he prepares to face
Rousimar
“Toquinho†Palhares at ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 in Rio de
Janeiro.

The Brazilian grappler will face Palhares in a rematch of their
2011 ADCC final, this time under rules that permit strikes to the
body.

Andre Galvao prepares for Rousimar Palhares at ACBJJ 23 under
rules allowing body strikes

Galvao, 44, told Sherdog that a renewed desire to compete and an
attractive offer from the promotion prompted his return. He
initially expected the rematch to follow the rules of their
previous encounter, but the format changed as plans developed.

“First they got my yes, then came the surprises,†Galvao said.
“Later on they told me it would be up to 100kg (220 pounds); then
that it would be nine minutes of fighting instead of seven; and
finally they informed me that punches and kicks would be
allowed.â€

The prospect of facing Palhares under those conditions concerned
some of Galvao's friends and students. However, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu
leader believes his MMA experience has prepared him for the
challenge.

“Several friends came to me and said, ‘You're crazy, coming back
right away against Toquinho and with strikes allowed?'†Galvao
recalled. “The fact is that since I built my career more in
Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling, the youngsters forget that I've already
had seven MMA fights, and during that period I was training with
champions like Anderson, Rafael Feijão and Ronaldo Jacare, so
taking punches isn't exactly something that scares me that
much.â€

Galvao nevertheless recognizes the threat Palhares poses.

“Toquinho is a monster, he's incredibly strong. I joke that I'm
prepared to face a monster on Friday the 13th,†Galvao said. “That
fight of ours in the ADCC final in London in 2011 is still
considered one of the best in history. I'm sure we're going to put
on another great fight and make history again.â€

Galvao won their first meeting 9-4 in the under-88-kilogram ADCC
final in Nottingham, England. Their rematch will headline ACBJJ 23
at Farmasi Arena.

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MMA

Johnny Walker wanted to take it slow at heavyweight, then UFC called

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Johnny Walker wanted to take it slow at heavyweight, then UFC called
Johnny
Walker's heavyweight run is going faster than he planned.

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights Sean Brady
and Gabriel
Bonfim were originally scheduled to headline
UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However,
Brady pulled out because of a severe staph infection and the
promotion didn't book a replacement to keep Bonfim on the card.
Walker then accepted the headlining matchup against Waldo
Cortes-Acosta on nine days' notice.

What a victory over Waldo Cortes-Acosta could mean for Johnny
Walker

Walker (23-10, 1 NC) made his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin
in October, scoring a bonus-winning first-round knockout. The
former light heavyweight recently revealed he originally wanted to
take things slow in his new weight class.

“I was thinking to take small steps and go slow in the division,â€
Walker said at media day ahead of UFC Vegas 124. “See how I feel at
heavyweight. That was my plan. God had different plans than me. God
has better plans for me.â€

Cortes-Acosta (17-4) was riding a three-fight win streak before
losing to Alexander
Volkov and Curtis
Blaydes this year. A win over “Salsa Boy†will launch Walker
into the heavyweight Top 10 in just his second appearance in the
division.

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