Shavkat Rakhmonov Suffers Major Ankle Injury Before UFC 296

So, here’s the scoop. Shavkat Rakhmonov had a big win on Saturday. But, get this, he almost didn’t make it to the cage at all.

Now, here’s the kicker. Rakhmonov handed Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson his first ever submission loss. This happened via a second-round rear naked choke on the UFC 296 main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This marked the 18th finish for the undefeated Kazakh in as many career outings, including six in the UFC. He’s notched wins over tested welterweights like Geoff Neal, Neil Magny, and now Thompson. After this, “Nomad” called for a title shot next.

But wait, there’s more. After the event, “Nomad” revealed that he suffered a major ligament tear in his ankle six weeks out from his clash against Thompson. This curtailed his kicking game and had him contemplating withdrawing from the event entirely.

He said during the post-fight show, “I had a very serious injury and I was even close to pulling out from the fight, but I decided to risk it all. and that’s why I didn’t kick it with my legs, just used my knees. But thanks God, I got the victory…Hopefully next time, with God’s willing, I’m going to be 100 percent. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever injury [I have], you know I’m going to fight to my last blood, until the last sip of blood, because I have to get a win.”

So, there you have it. The story of a fighter who, despite a major injury, decided to risk it all and came out victorious.

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