Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry have a matchup at the UFC 310, and Rakhmonov seems prepared for whatever Garry has in store for him.
The fighters are set to clash on Saturday after champ Belal Muhammad withdrew from the fight. He was replaced with Kamaru Usman, but the Nigerian fighter declined the short-notice fight. Machado Garry finally took the role and has been training with Rakhmonov as he prepares.
Initially, it seemed the fight was not going to occur, and he would have had to forfeit it. Luckily, Garry decided to take on the role, and Rakhmonov seems content that he’ll get his shot in the cage.
“I’m very glad,” He told Ariel Helwaniwhen about the opponent change. “A lot of fighters turned it down, and he backed up his word, so I’m glad I’m fighting.
“As far as I know, Kamaru Usman turned it down and also pretty much everyone from top-15 didn’t accept the fight. That’s why they pulled Ian Garry in. …
“I could have fought for the title,” Rakhmonov added later. “I could have just waited for the title fight, but I wanted to fight. And, I wanted to stay active, and I wanted to strengthen my position as the No. 1 contender.”
He considers Garry a worthy opponent and sees some familiarity in their fighting technique. During their sparring session, Rakhmonov said he submitted Garry, but the fighter was unsatisfactory for him to post that part of the sparring tape.
“At the time, even though his wife asked me if she can film the footage of us sparring, I accepted it,” Rakhmonov said. “But they didn’t ask me if they can release it or not. I wonder why they didn’t release the other part of the sparring.
“Ian Garry taps, “ Rakhmonov added when asked what happened. “It was a submission, choke.”
Despite his victory during the sparring, Rakhmonov believes he will have a tough time in the cage.
“What’s most important for me is the win,” Rakhmonov said. “Sparring is sparring. Fighting is different. Ian Garry is a very tough opponent who is a good tactician, who comes in with a good game plan. So, for me it doesn’t matter, submission or stoppage. For me what’s most important is to win.”
