Shavkat Rakhmonov isn't worried about Conor McGregor's bid for UFC welterweight title: "I don’t even think about him winning"
Shavkat Rakhmonov recently weighed in on the idea of Conor McGregor jumping the line at 170 pounds and earning a welterweight title shot. The Irishman is currently awaiting the date for his octagon return against Michael Chandler, and so an impressive win could possibly be fast-tracked to a title shot.
McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in the sport and his attempt at becoming the first ever three-division UFC champion could be too enticing for the promotion to pass up. 'Nomad', on the other hand, doesn't appear too worried by the hypothetical scenario.
While speaking to MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, the No.3 ranked UFC welterweight noted that he doesn't devote any time to 'The Notorious' because he is still yet to return after a lengthy layoff. Rakhmonov mentioned that he doesn't believe the promotion will allow McGregor to earn an immediate title shot should he defeat Chandler. He said:
"I don't even think about when Conor [McGregor is] gonna fight, when he's gonna be ready, I don't think about all that....In my head, I don't even think about him winning this one fight in three years [is] gonna do something. I understand he's a big star, but in my head I don't see it being possible...I believe [the] UFC is the best and most fair organization, so I believe they're going to do everything right." [10:42 - 11:17]
Check out the full interview with Shavkat Rakhmonov below:
Shavkat Rakhmonov answers whether he would accept a bout against Conor McGregor
In addition to weighing on Conor McGregor possibly jumping the line at welterweight, Shavkat Rakhmonov answered whether he would accept a bout against Conor McGregor should he become UFC welterweight champion.
During the aforementioned interview, Rakhmonov mentioned that his only focus is challenging Belal Muhammad for the welterweight championship and doesn't want to think too far ahead. He said:
"Yeah, who don't want to fight Conor [McGregor] right now, you know? But to be honest, I don't even think about it. For me, the most important [thing] is to win the [welterweight] belt and that's my focus." [11:42 - 11:51]
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov's comments regarding Conor McGregor below: