Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson Prediction: the Kazakh will take the soul out of Steven

Prediction for the UFC Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Stephen Thompson match which will take place on December 3rd. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

Shavkat has 17 fights on his record, 17 wins. In the UFC, he has had five fights and five early wins. He's the best in the division regarding the percentage of early wins.

The thing is that Shavkat is a very modest man. Unlike Khamzat Chimaev, he doesn't speak loudly on social media. But in the octagon, he is quite different - he is an incredibly versatile fighter, with no gaps in any of his skills, who is equally deadly in the parterre or the guard.

Before joining the UFC, Rakhmonov competed in two promotions - Russia's M-1 Global and Kazakhstan's KZMMAF - winning championships.

Shavkat's last fight came in March of this year against Geoffrey Neal, the most high-profile opponent of his career. Neal failed to make weight. The fight was a middleweight and ended as usual - an early win for the Kazakh. The fight turned out to be incredibly tough - the American gave Rakhmonov the battle like no one else, hit hard, did unconditional damage, and became the first UFC fighter to survive in a confrontation with him until the third round.

Stephen Thompson is a former elite kickboxer with a 57:0 record, a sparring partner of Georges St. Pierre when he was at his peak, and a black belt in karate and American kick. He mostly wins by knockout and has fought for the UFC belt twice, against Tyron Woodley (a draw and a split decision loss).

In 2021, Thompson lost both fights, and the public immediately talked about the sunset of his career. First, the opponents were the toughest of all - Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Secondly, both fights were lost by decision, and Steven lost by wrestling.

Last year's fight between Holland and Thompson was incredibly entertaining and bloody, and it will be an invulnerable contender for Fight of the Year. It ended with Kevin not making it to the fifth round due to his damage.

Rakhmonov will fight in stand-up as long as he wants. He will unlikely be inferior in this component, but for a change, he will take the fight to the ground from time to time. On the ground, the Kazakh will take the soul out of Steven, who is unlikely to have any motivation left for the second half of the fight.