Michael Bisping delivers eye-opening prediction for Ian Garry vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov clash at UFC 310: "Can he stop the takedown?"
Ian Garry last entered the octagon in June as he remained undefeated, beating Michael 'Venom' Page via a unanimous decision at UFC 303.
He was supposed to return against Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63 next weekend in the first main event of his UFC career. Although, 'The Future' is now scheduled to face Shavkat Rakhmonov in a welterweight title eliminator at UFC 310 this weekend.
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently weighed in on their fight, sharing what he believes will determine the outcome. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the UFC Hall of Famer stated:
"You've got to have a lot of respect for Ian Garry. He didn't have to take this fight, but can he stop the takedown? Shavkat Rakhmonov, he's very tall for the division, as is Ian Garry. They're both 6-foot-3 and they're both competent strikers. Ian Garry's probably going to dance around the octagon and use the exact same game plan what he did against Geoff Neal. He's got to keep Shavkat Rakhmonov off him. If he can't stop the takedown, he will get finished, and that is no disrespect to Ian Garry."
Bisping continued:
"He might be able to dance around, use the reach, use the range, use the movement, be fast, be elusive, be nice and crisp, be light on his toes and be dedicated enough to not allow himself to get involved into a brawl. If he does that, Shavkat's going to get a hold of him. If he gets a hold of him, he's going to get him down. If he gets him down, it's going to be lights out."
Check out Michael Bisping's comments on Ian Garry vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov below (starting at the 4:27 mark):
Bisping pointed to Rakhmonov's performance against Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in his last fight, noting that he could box his way into a clinch to secure the takedown. He added that Garry's path to victory involves maintaining his range, sticking, and moving. While the former middleweight champion acknowledged that 'The Future' might ruffle a few feathers of the spectators with this, he noted that winning is all that matters.
Ian Garry shares prediction for Shavkat Rakhmonov clash
There will be plenty at stake when Ian Garry faces Shavkat Rakhmonov this weekend. Both fighters will put their undefeated record on the line to earn the opportunity to fight for the undisputed welterweight title next. 'The Future' recently shared his prediction for the clash, stating:
"Honestly, I was pushing for the Shavkat fight. I was pushing for it. Undefeated versus undefeated. We've trained together. We know how good we are. We both respect each other. He probably respects me a lot less than I respect him, which is okay, which is okay. That's the way it should be at that point in our careers. But the truth is, I will take his 0 and I will take that belt."
Check out Ian Garry's comments on facing Shavkat Rakhmonov below:
Rakhmonov appeared set to face Belal Muhammad for the undisputed title this weekend. However, the latter was forced to withdraw from the fight because of a bone infection in his foot. The timeline for his return to the octagon remains unclear.