UFC makes last-minute changes to their 2024 schedule, booking Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry & Joaquin Buckley vs. Colby Covington for December.
UFC has changed end-of-year plans for the welterweight division, placing a high-profile tilt on the promotion’s last pay-per-view of 2024 and providing their final “Fight Night” card of the year with a slightly different headliner.
Three fighters who were already announced for later this year have new matchups to prepare for in the coming weeks, potentially changing who could be next in line for a shot at the 170-pound division’s title.
Shavkat Rakhmonov, who was originally expected to face UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad at the promotion’s December 7th show in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, will remain on the card despite his title bout falling through in recent weeks.
Instead of fighting to become a champion at welterweight, he is now expected to face fellow undefeated contender Ian Machado Garry in a five-round co-main event bout, as announced by UFC CEO Dana White on Friday night.
The fight is incredibly high stakes for both talents, as it sees Rakhmonov wager his top title contender spot against one of the division’s most hyped up-and-comers.
Rakhmonov, the third-ranked welterweight contender and the highest-ranked fighter to have not yet received a title shot, heads into the new assignment looking to add another name to his impressive record. Recent years have seen him pass tests against experienced opponents with flying colors, stopping Neil Magny, Stephen Thompson, and Geoff Neal.
The upcoming five-round fight could show the endurance skills of Rakhmonov, who has never gone the distance in a pro bout.
Machado Garry currently also carries a lot of hype, with eight UFC wins among his 15 overall victories as a pro. After facing Neal and Magny, two similar past opponents of Rakhmonov, Machado Garry overcame Bellator veteran Michael Page earlier this year to keep his streak going.
Along with the announcement of a new welterweight co-main event, it was confirmed that the previously announced flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and former RIZIN champ Kai Asakura will serve as the card’s new headliner.
Prior to the change of plans being confirmed on Saturday night, Machado Garry was expected to compete in the main event spot of UFC’s December 14th card in Tampa, Florida against Joaquin Buckley.
Buckley will remain in the main event of the upcoming Tampa show, instead facing welterweight vet Colby Covington.
The fight will mark a return for Covington, competing for the first time since losing a five-round decision to then-champion Leon Edwards in late 2023. Covington has switched between wins and losses in recent years, albeit against some of the 170-pound division’s most prominent names.
The 36-year-old is no stranger to five-round matchups. In fact, if you want to see a Covington fight that hasn’t pushed into the fifth round, you have to go all the way back to 2017.
Buckley, on the other hand, will be stepping into his first-ever main event assignment. Now with a new opponent across from him, “New Mansa” will try to keep alive the impressive five-fight winning streak he has attained over the past year and a half.
Buckley has picked up victories over Vicente Luque and Thompson among others in recent years, breaking him into the division’s top 10 and scoring highlight-reel striking finishes along the way. A fight against Covington gives him the chance to move slightly higher in the welterweight rankings than before, as Covington sits up in sixth place – one spot above Machado Garry.
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