Shavkat Rakhmonov alarmed fans by posting a rehabilitation video showing him in condition far from fight-ready. The Kazakh welterweight has now been out of action for more than a year and a half, raising concerns about his timeline for return. Meanwhile, Caio Borralho traveled to South Africa to challenge Dricus Du Plessis, leading to an exchange where Du Plessis invited him to spar at his gym and Borralho responded by telling him to sign a contract. Insiders have reported that a Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman bout is being developed, though no official confirmation has been made. The post also noted that Beneil Dariush and Quillan Salkilld looked like partners from an 80s detective movie at their face-off.
Unbeaten Kazakh welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov has drawn concern from fans after posting a rehabilitation video that showed him far from competition shape, extending an already lengthy absence from the octagon to more than 18 months.
Rakhmonov, 31, enters this period of uncertainty carrying a perfect 19-0-0 record and the number-three ranking in the welterweight division. Standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, the orthodox fighter from Kazakhstan has built his reputation on a blend of volume and precision, landing 3.25 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 60 percent, while also threatening consistently on the ground with 1.4 takedowns and 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes. The rehabilitation footage offered no clarity on a return timeline, leaving his status among the division's elite in a holding pattern.
Elsewhere in the middleweight division, a verbal back-and-forth developed after Caio Borralho traveled to South Africa to confront Dricus Du Plessis. Du Plessis, who holds a 23-3-0 record and sits second in the divisional rankings with a pound-for-pound ranking of seventh, invited Borralho to spar at his gym. Borralho responded by telling him to sign a contract instead. Separately, insiders have indicated that a Du Plessis bout against Kamaru Usman is being developed, though no official announcement has been made. The 32-year-old South African is one of the more active fighters statistically, landing 5.18 significant strikes per minute while also averaging 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes.
On the lighter side of the news cycle, eighth-ranked lightweight Beneil Dariush and Quillan Salkilld drew attention at their face-off for reasons that had nothing to do with aggression. Observers noted the two looked more like partners from an eighties detective film than fighters squaring off. Dariush, 37, carries a 23-8-1 record and fights out of Kings MMA as a southpaw, averaging 3.78 significant strikes per minute and 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career.
Why it matters
- Rakhmonov's prolonged absence creates uncertainty at the top of a crowded welterweight division
- Du Plessis versus Usman, if confirmed, would reshape the middleweight landscape around one of the division's sharpest strikers
- Borralho's public pressure campaign signals that the middleweight title picture remains active and contested
