In one of the more curious developments of the latest UFC rankings update, undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov has been quietly pulled from the 170-pound ladder.

Rakhmonov, long viewed as a future title challenger and one of the division’s most feared rising forces, was listed in the eligible pool of athletes during the previous rankings cycle. However, with recent injury news surfacing around the Kazakh standout, he is absent from the newest update — a move that has raised eyebrows among fans and pundits alike.

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The UFC and its rankings panel have not yet offered a detailed public explanation, but the timing appears tied to Rakhmonov’s health status. When a fighter is dealing with a significant or prolonged injury, the promotion has historically exercised discretion in temporarily removing them from the active rankings pool, often to clear space for contenders who are available to compete and to avoid logjams in divisional matchmaking.

For the welterweight landscape, Rakhmonov’s disappearance from the list creates both a power vacuum and an opportunity. Fighters hovering around the lower end of the top 10 and just outside it now have a clearer path to climb, while the absence of a dangerous, undefeated finisher like Rakhmonov alters the risk-reward calculus for would-be contenders. Matchups that once seemed like unavoidable tests against a surging dark horse might now be redirected toward more active names while Rakhmonov is sidelined.

From a narrative standpoint, this development also stalls one of the division’s most compelling storylines. Rakhmonov’s immaculate record and finishing rate had positioned him as a fresh, stylistically intriguing threat to the welterweight elite. With his removal from the rankings, questions now shift from “How soon until he fights for gold?” to “How long will he be out, and what version of him returns?”

Rakhmonov’s injury status remains a cloud over a division already rich with intrigue. His eventual re-entry into the rankings — and the opponent who welcomes him back — will be one of the key plot points to watch in the welterweight division’s next chapter.