No.10 ranked welterweight contender Neil Magny takes Shavkat Rakhmonov this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot. The bout will be the co-main event of the night.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is an unbeaten fighter from Kazakhstan with a record of 15-0. He has had 3 bouts in the UFC and Rakhmonov has won all of those via stoppage. As a matter of fact, Shavkat has a finishing percentage of 100% with stoppage wins over all of his opponents.
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Neil Magny has had a decent run lately. The Haitian Sensation has won 4 bouts out of his last 5. He holds notable wins over Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks. But his opponent this Saturday will be unlike any other that he has faced so far in his career.
Can Magny stop Rakhmonov from adding him to the list of his victims? Let’s find out.
UFC on ESPN 38, Neil Magny vs Shavkat Rakhmonov: Stats
Stats | Neil Magny | Shavkat Rakhmonov |
---|---|---|
Wins | 26 | 15 |
Losses | 9 | 0 |
Height | 6’2 ft | 6’1 ft |
Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
Reach | 80 in | 77 in |
Age | 34 | 27 |
Neil Magny vs Shavkat Rakhmonov: Can Rakhmonov continue his winning momentum?
Shavkat Rakhmonov is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the 170lbs division. 8 of his wins came via knockout, while he also holds 7 wins via submission. The 27-year-old currently occupies 15th place in the welterweight division.
Rakhmonov has the tendency to hang back and set traps for his opponents before jumping in to finish them. He lands a moderate number of punches per minute on average. Shavkat hits his opponent 2.94 times per minute while getting hit 1.56 times.
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In terms of grappling, Nomad averages 1.88 takedowns per fight. Although his opponents tried to take him down multiple times, none succeeded as he holds a 100% takedown defence. But that will be put to test against Neil Magny this Saturday.
Magny has good stats overall in both striking and grappling departments. He lands more strikes per minute than Shavkat Rakhmonov. Magny averages 3.67 strikes per minute while absorbing 2.17 strikes. He also is a grappling maestro who lands 2.37 takedowns per fight.
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Although Magny has 4 submission wins in the UFC, he does not actively seek a finish during his fights. Neil has numerous unanimous decision wins with KO/submission wins sprinkled in between. Although the 34-year-old will have a slight reach and height advantage, Rakhmonov will be much stronger in the cage against Magny.
Whenever Magny meets a dominant grappler, he gets outmuscled and dominated. For example, Michael Chiesa took him down 4 times and landed more than double the strikes. There is a chance that something similar to that plays out on June 25th as well.
But unlike Chiesa, Shavkat Rakhmonov will not drag the bout to the decision. He will do everything in his power to maintain his perfect finishing rate.