Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov agree to UFC 296 showdown

22/09/2023 20:15

UFC 296 will feature a welterweight matchup between Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov – if the fighters have anything to say about it.

Thompson on Friday announced he'd accepted a UFC offer to face the unbeaten Rakhmonov at the Dec. 16 pay-per-view event, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

"UFC offered and I've accepted, [Rakhmonov] let's close out the year strong," Thompson wrote on X. "Dec. 16 can't wait."

In response, Rakhmonov eagerly accepted the bout.

The Khazak fighter has previously been pitched to Thompson as a potential opponent, but until now, the matchup failed to materialize.

In August 2022, Thompson said the matchup didn't interest him because he felt Rakhmonov would only grapple him. In March, after Rakhmonov's submission win over Geoff Neal at UFC 285, the two exchanged a few testy tweets about a potential fight.

Thompson's most recent appearance, which came this past December at UFC Orlando, ended in a fourth-round TKO over Kevin Holland. That put the two-time title challenger back in the win column after a two-fight skid in bouts against Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.

Rakhmonov is 5-0 in the UFC and has climbed to No. 4 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Thompson sits at No. 8.