Shavkat Rakhmonov’s manager has taken to social media to shut down a fight rumor concerning the undefeated star.

The undefeated 32-year-old has been out of action since 2024 when he handed Ian Machado Garry his first professional loss in MMA.

Since then, Shavkat Rakhmonov has been out of action nursing a knee injury which has required several surgeries and rehabilitation.

Over the past few months, things have been trending towards ‘The Nomad’ returning to the Octagon in January or February of the new year, but that now seems to have taken a hit.

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Rakhmonov’s manager shuts down rumors of fight against Jack Della Maddalena

Earlier this month, Michael Morales teased a fight against Rakhmonov, but then the Ecuadorian was picked for the interim welterweight title fight against Carlos Prates in Islam Makhachev’s absence. Seemingly, the initial plan was for Makhachev to fight Prates, while Morales and Shavkat would’ve fought to determine the next title challenger. And when Dana White was asked about Shavkat vs Morales, he teased that it was in the works originally.

But with the interim title fight now booked, that has once again left the Kazakh’s potential return to action in a precarious position. That was until earlier this week when it was teased on social media that Rakhmonov was in talks for a return against former champion, Jack Della Maddalena.

However, rumors of that fight have been immediately shut down by the 32-year-old’s manager Daniel Rubenstein, who has called the fight rumors ‘completely false’. “Completely false and inaccurate. JDM hasn’t been mentioned as an opponent and Shavkat won’t be returning in January,” Rubenstein said on X.

This past July, Rakhmonov’s physician provided a positive update, saying that there is nothing stopping the undefeated star from returning to the sport, however, it seems as though there has been another delay. Maddalena hasn’t fought since this past May when he took on Prates in the UFC Perth main event. Prates finished Maddalena in the third round after an incredibly dominant performance.