Rakhmonov was slated to fight then-champ Belal Muhammad at UFC 310 in December 2024, but Muhammd withdrew due to injury. Rakhmonov, despite having a miniscus and ACL injury, remained on the card and faced Machado Garry in a No. 1 contender fight, winning a competitive decision.

In a rare interview, Rakhmonov discusses his injuries, and decision making, while also taking a shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov and current welterweight champ Islam Makhachev.

“Well that's my problem, I couldn't fight,†Rakhmonov told Alf Global. “If I had fought, I could've become champion, but that's how it turned out. I was injured. What can I do? We are only human. We are bound to make plenty of mistakes. …

“I actually shouldn't even have fought Ian Garry at all. With injuries like that, I shouldn't have fought at all, I just took a risk. That's the Kazakh way. Kazakhs are very daring. They're not afraid. If it had been some other Dagestani fighter like Khabib or Islam Makhachev, they definitely would've refused.â€

Rakhmonov put over Machado Garry as a great and well-rounded fighter, but obviously believes had he been healthy, it would've been a victory by a wider margin.

“I already had an injury going into the Ian Garry fight,†Rakhmonov explained. “I stepped in, I hadn't fought for a year, I wanted to fight. Even before that, I had health problems, too, and it turned out there were only two weeks left before the Ian Garry fight.

“That old injury was still bothering me a lot. My leg was swollen. And when he was striking me, it was probably because I completely lacked a ligament. I couldn't really feel that strike, in general.â€

Rakhmonov was on the road to a return to the octagon before re-injuring his knee again that has kept him out of action another full year. “Nomad†is 19-0, including a 7-0 run in the UFC — stopping the likes of Stephen Thompson, Geoff Neal and Neil Magny.

Makhachev had recently said prior to his UFC 330 title defense against Machado Garry that he doesn't believe Rakhmonov will fight again after the injuries he has sustained. He hopes to return to action in 2027, but Rakhmonov would be lying if he said it's 100 percent he'll return to the UFC.

““Time will tell,†Rakhmonov said. “It's too early to say anything yet. I'll do my best to come back and win the title. Time will reveal everything.â€

Machado Garry lost a competitive decision to the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world in August, and ahead of Katie Taylor's final fight at Croke Park in Ireland, Machado Garry discussed his feelings about the fight with Makhachev.

“Proud, happy, proud of me and my team, my preparation, everything we did,†Machado Garry told DAZN. “Obviously, annoyed by the result, that's the fight game. We get back on the horse, we go again. Because I've got 10 years in this sport to be at the highest level, fight the baddest men in the world, beat them, and prove that I'm one of the baddest men walking the planet.â€

Machado Garry's performance drew criticism from UFC CEO Dana White for his lack of fire in terms of trying to hurt Makhachev, electing to show, perhaps, too much resppect for the welterweight champion.

Regardless, “The Future†feels if they ran it back — literally, anytime — he would be the one walking out of the octagon as the champion.

“I definitely think the biggest thing I could've done was a bit more volume,†Machado Garry said. “A bit more me, a bit more kicks, more venom in the shots to the head. But at the end of the day, when you're stood in front of a man who has been able to beat everyone he's stood in front of, it's difficult to maneuver that.

“But I feel like if I fight him right now, I beat him. I have so much confidence in myself, so much confidence in my team and the preparation that we do. I just want to get back in there tomorrow and do it all over again.â€

In regards to when Machado Garry would like to return to action in the stacked welterweight division and keep his name in the championship hunt, he says he's just waiting on that phone to ring.

“As soon as physically possible,†Machado Garry said. “Anyone, anywhere, anytime, go back in there, prove I'm one of the baddest men on the planet. Don't stop.â€