Shavkat Rahmonov was overtly dismissive when responding to a call from Ian Garry.
Gary recently took to social media to propose a bout between two unbeaten welterweight contenders at the end of 2024.
“December 2024, Undefeated vs Undefeated,” Garry wrote on Instagram. “Let’s make it happen!” [Shavkat
Rakhmonov].”
Rakhmonov didn’t rule out a fight, but mocked Gary’s finishing percentage compared to his own. The Kazakhstan challenger doesn’t think Gary would be a match for him if the bout were to happen. UFC 304: Edwards vs. Muhammad airs Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order now! “100% finishing percentage vs. 53%,” Rakhmonov wrote on X. “If it were to happen, the gap would be the same.” [Ian Garry].”
100% completion rate vs. 53% completion rate. Even then, the gap will not narrow. Follow
https://t.co/nJaglUmnBp
— Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov (@Rakhmonov1994)
July 21, 2024
Rakhmonov has finished each of his 18 wins to date, while Garry has finished eight of his 15 wins to date. Rakhmonov has beaten division guardians Neil Magny and Geoff Neal, while Garry has won hard-fought decisions against both of them.
Rakhmonov is coming off a second-round submission win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 296 in December 2023. Meanwhile, Garry is coming off a unanimous decision win over former Bellator star Michael Page at UFC 303 last month in a bout that should have ended in a draw, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
There have been rumours that Garry struggled against Rakhmonov in sparring, but Garry claims that Rakhmonov was just coming at him too hard, despite his coach Henri Hooft telling him otherwise. ‘The Future’ admits that Rakhmonov was his superior grappling fighter, but claims he has made great strides in his ground game at the ShootBox Academy in Brazil.
