Shavkat Rakhmonov reacts after Stephen Thompson shares hilarious "Wonderboy 2.0" face-merge of himself and Kazakh
Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson shared a nice exchange on social media.
In December 2023, Rakhmonov and Thompson fought inside the T-Mobile Arena during the UFC 296 pay-per-view main card. The undefeated Kazakh avoided the dangerous striking skills of 'Wonderboy' before securing a rear-naked choke in round two to extend his professional MMA record to 18-0 (6-0 in UFC).
It should be noted that Rakhmonov holds a 100% finish rate (eight knockouts and 10 submissions) throughout his 18 MMA wins.
'Wonderboy' has gained a reputation for having a humble personality and often becomes friends with his previous opponents. Earlier today, the 41-year-old posted a hilarious photo on Instagram of his face combined with Rakhmonov's. The social media post featured the following caption:
"Wonderboy 2.0 coming at you @ShavkatRakhmonov94"
Rakhmonov responded in the Instagram comment section by saying:
"[Laughing emoji]"
Before fighting at UFC 296, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson was coming off an impressive fourth-round TKO win against Kevin Holland. At 41 years old, Thompson must return to the drawing board and bounce back from the disappointing second-round submission loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov.
What's next for Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson under the UFC banner?
Shavkat Rakhmonov is the number three-ranked fighter in the UFC welterweight division. Although it's unconfirmed by the promotion, Rakhmonov could be matched up for a number-one contender bout against the former 185-pound champion and current number-one-ranked Kamaru Usman.
In the meantime, Leon Edwards looks to defend his welterweight throne for the third time on July 27 in the UFC 304 main event. Standing in Edwards' way is number two-ranked Belal Muhammad, who finally received a title shot after establishing a nine-fight win streak.
With another win, Rakhmonov is practically guaranteed a title shot against the winner of Edwards vs. Muhammad. The undefeated Kazakh has also been surrounded by rumors of a potential fight against Jack Della Maddalena.
Meanwhile, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, who is ranked number nine at welterweight, might have to fight back in rankings. It's unclear what's next for the 41-year-old, but he could be matched up against number four Colby Covington.
Watch the fight-ending sequence of Rakhmonov vs. Thompson below: