Shavkat Rakhmonov issues statement after handing Ian Machado Garry career-first loss at UFC 310
Shavkat Rakhmonov has secured himself a welterweight title fight following his win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. The pair clashed in a five-round co-main event bout, with both fighters entering the octagon undefeated.
Rakhmonov extended his record to 19-0, whilst Machado Garry now holds a 15-1 record. But the Irishman put up a performance worth being proud of, as he had his opponent in dangerous positions several times during the clash.
The Kazakh title contender entered the fight with a 100% finish rate, with 10 submission wins and 8 knockouts. However, he did not continue his stoppage streak and instead saw the judges' scorecards for the first time, where he was awarded a unanimous decision win, 48-47 on all three cards.
Rakhmonov was initially set to fight Belal Muhammad, the 170-pound champion, at UFC 310 before an injury to Muhammad saw him withdraw from the bout. 'The Future' replaced him, with the clash now dubbed an official title eliminator.
Following the event, the undefeated contender took to X to share his first statement, saying:
"19 fights, 19 wins, 18 finishes. First one to defeat Ian Garry. Title fight is next."
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov's post below:
Belal Muhammad reacts to Shavkat Rakhmonov's win over Ian Machado Garry
Shavkat Rakhmonov has landed a second title fight opportunity against Belal Muhammad after their original clash fell apart after the champion's withdrawal due to injury.
The 30-year-old handed Ian Machado Garry his first-ever loss, but the Irishman was close to submitting his opponent in Round 4 with a rear-naked choke after taking his back.
Following the result, Rakhmonov and Muhammad shared a face-off in the octagon, with their title fight expected to take place in 2025. 'Remember The Name' was then interviewed by ESPN MMA about the welterweight title eliminator bout at UFC 310, and said:
"I thought [Rakhmonov] pulled it off. I think the 2 rounds to 3 rounds was the right call. That choke was very close for Ian at the end... Shavkat hasn't fought in a while, it was his first fight in a year and his first five-round fight. Now he knows how it feels, five rounds."
He continued:
"It was definitely an impressive fight from Ian. He defended the takedowns, didn't get taken down... The way that Shavkat had his entrances and managed the fight instead of going for the finish, I was a little bit surprised."
Catch Belal Muhammad discuss Shavkat Rakhmonov's win below (0:20):