"We know how good we are" - Ian Machado Garry claims he will hand Shavkat Rakhmonov his first loss
Ian Machado Garry last entered the octagon at UFC 303, continuing his undefeated journey against Michael 'Venom' Page via a unanimous decision. It marked his second victory of the year after beating Geoff Neal via a split decision at UFC 298 in February.
'The Future' was set to face Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63 in the first main event of his UFC career next month. However, he was pulled from the card to compete against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 the previous week. Garry recently expressed confidence heading into the title eliminator clash. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the No.7-ranked welterweight claimed:
"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 Machado Garry's comments on facing Shavkat Rakhmonov below:
Rakhmonov was originally set to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 310. However, 'Remember the Name' was forced to withdraw from the fight because of a bone infection in his foot. While the timeline for his return remains unclear, the winner of the clash between 'Nomad' and 'The Future' will probably be his opponent when he recovers.
Shavkat Rakhmonov on facing Ian Machado Garry
Shavkat Rakhmonov has not competed in nearly a year as he last entered the octagon at UFC 296 last December when he defeated Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson via second-round submission. Ian Machado Garry was among the only fighters who threw his name into the mix to face the No.3-ranked welterweight when his opponent withdrew.
'Nomad' revealed his reaction to the call-out during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show before the fight was officially booked, stating:
"To be honest, I don't care. I'm ready if it's going to be him after he wins his fight. If the date is good for both of us, we can do it. If he wants to try to take my zero, he can try, but I know the same thing is going to happen that's happened in the training. I'm going to keep it the same way and I'm pretty confident that I'm going to beat him."
Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov's comments on facing Ian Machado Garry below:
There has been much chatter about a sparring session between the two over the years, with some suggesting that Rakhmonov knocked Garry out. They will now clash with a title shot on the line. Both fighters are undefeated in their respective mixed martial arts careers, with 'Nomad' finishing each of his previous 18 opponents.