UFC welterweight division number five Shavkat Rakhmonov, who will face former title challenger Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 in Las Vegas, expects to finish the American early, and will try to do it in the standup.
“It will depend on how he performs, but I think my stand-up game is as good as his,” “Nomad” told Luke Thomas. “I think I can beat him in the standup. No one has been able to beat him in the standup, but sometimes he misses punches.”
“I’ve never seen him lose by choke hold, but I remember him getting knocked out by Anthony Pettis. The main thing for me is to win the fight. But of course, I’ll try to finish it early like I always do.”
Rakhmonov also gave his prediction for the upcoming title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covingoton, which will headline the number show.
“They are both good fighters, but I think Leon Edwards has the advantage. He is the champion for a reason.”
At the same time, the Kazakhstani fighter is not sure that even in the case of an early victory over “Vanderboegh” he will be able to beat Belal Muhammad, who is ranked second in the rankings, in the title race.
“I don’t know, it depends on what the UFC says, but I think Belal Muhammad deserves a title fight. He’ll be the insurance for the Edwards-Covington fight, but of course I’m ready.”
As a reminder, UFC 296 will take place on December 16 in Las Vegas and will be the organization’s final event of the current year.
Source: https://fighttime.ru/news/item/33352-shavkat-rakhmonov-dal-prognoz-na-boj-so-stivenom-tompsonom.html?rand=19907
