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The undefeated welterweight will attempt to climb another rung on the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight ladder when he confronts Carlston Harris as part of the UFC Fight Night 200 main card on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rakhmonov, 27, has raced out to a perfect 14-0 record and emerged as a person of interest at the highest levels of the sport. He last appeared at UFC Fight Night 190, where he submitted Michel Prazeres with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their June 26 pairing.
As Rakhmonov makes final preparations for his forthcoming clash with Harris at 170 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. His handlers believed in baptism by fire.
Rakhmonov made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 19 when he submitted Adam Tsurov with a first-round triangle choke at M-1 Challenge 52 on Oct. 27, 2014. He went on to record four victories before he turned 21.
2. Potent offensive skills distinguish him.
Carrying the Master of Sport designation in combat sambo, the Kazakhstan Top Team product has stopped all 14 of his opponents by knockout, technical knockout or submission, eight of them inside one round. Rakhmonov’s 49-second guillotine choke submission of Michal Wiencek in July 2015 ranks as the fastest finish of his career.
3. He has been known to mine.
Rakhmonov remains one of only six men to capture the M-1 Global welterweight championship, along with Shamil Zavurov, Yasubey Enomoto, Rashid Magomedov, Murad Abulaev and Alexey Kunchenko. He laid claim to the title when he stopped Danila Prikaza with second-round punches at M-1 Challenge 101 on March 30, 2019 and successfully defended it on one occasion before he signed with the UFC.
4. He calls upon powerful allies.
The former M-1 Global champion has linked arms with the powerhouse Sanford MMA camp in Florida on a part-time basis. There, Rakhmonov sharpens his world-class skills alongside a legion of accomplished mixed martial artists, from Michael Chandler, Darrion Caldwell and Aung La N Sang to Derek Brunson, Gilbert Burns and Robbie Lawler.
5. His odometer gets a workout.
Rakhmonov wears his “Nomad” nickname well, as he has appeared in six different countries—Kazakhstan, Russia, the United States, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan—across his 14-fight career. That equates to more than 37,000 miles of round-trip travel as the crow flies.