Laura Sanko speculates why Shavkat Rakhmonov's perceived weaknesses ahead of UFC 310 might be a facade: "Didn't give a single sh*t"
Shavkat Rakhmonov is heading into arguably the most important fight of his career at UFC 310. Naturally, many are discussing how he will fare against Ian Machado Garry, who, like Rakhmonov himself, is undefeated.
While some believe 'The Nomad' was weaknesses his foe can target, Laura Sanko disagrees. On the latest installment of her One on One podcast with Din Thomas, she argued that Rakhmonov's supposed weaknesses are nothing more than a mirage. Specifically, she touched on his defensive lapses, as Rakhmonov is more than willing to leap into danger to get his offense going.
She said:
"18-0, every single one of them finishes, but there have been moments where you're like, 'Oh, this isn't... he just got clipped or whatever.' The Geoff Neal fight was a hell of a fight, but you talk about the dog in Shavkat Rakhmonov. I mean, he got wobbled there and then he took Geoff Neal out. Took him to hell. Just choked him standing up like a street fight almost."
Sanko's assessment of the fight led to Thomas hypothesizing that perhaps Rakhmonov isn't as defensively susceptible as it may appear to an untrained eye. He opined that the undefeated fighter deliberately fought in such a way when he took on Geoff Neal to provide fans with more excitement.
This drew Sanko's agreement, with the UFC commentator pointing out that Rakhmonov had fought a decent stretch of time without his mouthpiece. She added:
"He fought for three full minutes without a mouthpiece in in that fight against Geoff Neal. Geoff 'Handz of Stone [Steel]' Neal. He could've motioned to his mouth, he could have waved a finger at the referee and been like, 'Hey, my mouthpiece is out,' because remember that was the fight that... I can't remember who the ref was, but I think it was Herb [Dean], but Herb just didn't see that it had come out, didn't see it on the ground while the commentary team's pointing at it. Point being Shavkat didn't give a single sh*t that he did not have a mouthpiece in."
Check out Laura Sanko and Dean Thomas speculate on Shavkat Rakhmonov's weaknesses (8:30 and 10:22):
With a win this Saturday, 'The Nomad' can solidify himself as the next in line for a shot at the 170-pound throne by beating Ian Machado Garry.
Laura Sanko's admiration for Shavkat Rakhmonov has become an MMA meme
Laura Sanko once described Shavkat Rakhmonov as a fighter who gives her chills. However, the MMA fandom mistook her description for one with romantic undertones.
Thereafter, the link between Sanko and Rakhmonov took on a life of its own, and has gone on to become something of a meme within the MMA community.