Ian Garry has changed his opinion of Shavkat Rakhmonov after their fight at UFC 310.
Gary faced Rakhmonov in a clash of undefeated welterweight contenders in the co-headliner of UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Rachmonov entered the fight as a -400 favorite at some sportsbooks, but faced the toughest test of his career against “The Future.” The Kazakh fighter won a unanimous decision but had to go the distance for the first time in 19 career fights.
Rakhmonov was originally scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the title at UFC 310, but the champion was forced to leave with an injury. “Nomad” has the best chance of winning the title after defeating Garry. Garry initially thought that Rakhmonov would defeat Muhammad in a potential fight, before trading leather with the Kazakhs. However, the Irishman now believes Muhammad can beat Rachmonov if “Remember the Name” does not threaten his defense.
“I tired him out quickly…and the truth is, I was just playing defense,” Garry told Ariel Helwani. “The only thing that was tiring him was me defending his takedowns over and over again.” Strike-wise, he wasn’t flashy and was lightning fast. So I thought Shafqat would defeat Belal in the first case. I think Belal would definitely benefit from watching 25 minutes of footage. And Belal definitely feels like he can go out there and get a win. The same goes for the Shaf cut. Because the more aggressive you are against someone like Shafqat, the more holes he can open up to finish you off. That’s why I’m still so intrigued by that match. ”
👀Ian Machado Garry originally thought Shavkat Rakhmonov would beat Belal Muhammad, but after fighting Shavkat, he now believes Belal can beat Shavkat.
“I thought Shafqat would beat Belal in the first case. I definitely feel like Belal would benefit from having 25 minutes…
pic.twitter.com/8QH4S6mWW1
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
December 9, 2024
Garry also claims he learned enough from his fight with Rachmonov to defeat him in an immediate rematch. The Future notes that at the end of the five-round fight, Rachmonov was visibly exhausted.
“I keep saying this to my wife: I believe that if I fight five rounds today, I will win…I learn it very quickly. I will grow and evolve. At the end of it, he was a bollocks. He was breathing out of his ass and looked broken… If you put him in that octagon with me today, I feel like I win. I will.”
Ian Garry believes he would beat Shavkat Rakhmonov if they fought again today:
“At the end of five rounds, he was a bollocks. He was breathing out of his ass and looked hurt. I didn’t.”
🎥 @Ariel Helwani
#UFC
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— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
December 9, 2024
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