Analyzing UFC welterweight shake up: Rakhmonov vs. Machado Garry, Covington vs. Buckley

November 19, 2024 7:45 pm ET

A lot is going on in the UFC’s welterweight division.

With UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad withdrawing from his first title defense at UFC 310 due to injury, the promotion was forced to make some big changes.

These changes were two important bookings: Ian Machado Garry was pulled from his fight against Joaquin Buckley on Dec. 14, and matched up with Shavkat Rakhmonov, who was supposed to challenge Muhammad. With Machado Garry out, Buckley was given former title challenger Colby Covington for the Dec. 14 Fight Night in Tampa, Fla.

Were these the matchups the UFC welterweight division needed? Which fighters will come out victorious?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous George discuss the pair of key welterweight bouts going down next month.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel at noon ET. You can also find each episode on your favorite podcast platforms – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more – on Tuesday mornings.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.