Shavkat
Rakhmonov was in control throughout his victory against
Neil
Magny in the
UFC on ESPN 38 co-main event.
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However, the Kazakhstan native was nonetheless a little bit
surprised when Magny tapped to a guillotine choke at the 4:58 mark
of Round 2 in their welterweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas
on Saturday night. Rakhmonov spent the majority of the bout in top
position, working to advance while landing ground-and-pound from
above, but he was patient in his approach.
“Neil is a good opponent,” Rakhmonov said through a translator at
Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s why I wasn’t
forcing the action. I wasn’t rushing. Just was waiting for him to
make a mistake and to catch him.”
When the chance for a finish arrived, Rakhmonov seized the
opportunity.
“I had a good grip [on the guillotine choke]. I was confident in
it,” he said. “But since it was so little time left, I was
expecting Neil to defend it. But maybe after two rounds of beating
he didn’t want to continue. Usually with this grip, I need seven or
eight seconds to put someone to sleep.”
That victory gives Rakhmonov 16 finishes in as many professional
appearances and four triumphs within the Las Vegas-based promotion.
The man known as “Nomad” believes he is ready to face a more
high-profile opponent in his next outing.
“As always, I’m not going to rush,” Rakhmonov said. “I’m going to
take my time, rest and assess everything with my team but the names
I want to face are Stephen
Thompson, Nick Diaz,
[Jorge] Masvidal. Let’s go.”
Regardless of what the immediate future holds, Rakhmonov has
championship gold in his sights. It’s simply a matter of how long
it takes him to reach that goal.
“I’m very happy to make my country proud. I beat a Top 10 guy,” he
said. “Step by step we’re going to get the title.”