Unbeaten welterweight contender, Ian Garry is hoping to land himself a third Octagon walk by year’s end, and has the ideal dance partner in mind – in the form of former training partner, Shavak Rakhmonov at UFC 310.
Garry, who currently holds the number seven rank in the official welterweight pile, most recently turned in a close decision win over British striking star, Michael ‘Venom’ Page back in June on the main card of UFC 303 – improving to 15-0 as a professional.
As for former training mate, Rakhmonov, the streaking uber-talent cracked the welterweight top-three back in December at UFC 296, flattening former title challenger, Stephen Thompson with a crushing rear-naked choke win. The victory moved Rakhmonov to 18-0 as a professional, as well as keeping his 100% finish rate in tact with his latest stoppage.
Ian Garry pursues Shavkat Rakhmonov clash at UFC 310
And with continued murmurs regarding a December comeback for Garry’s compatriot, former two-weight champion, Conor McGregor on an end-of-year UFC 310 card in Las Vegas, the Portmarnock native has routed his way to a title charge – in the form of a title eliminator with Rakhmonov.
“December 2024 undefeated vs. undefeated let’s make this happen! @shavkatrakhmonov94,” Ian Garry posted on his official Instagram account.
Ian Garry calls out Shavkat Rakhmonov to a fight in December
@ifonlymma #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/3FkjtGOXgp
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 20, 2024
Both peeling back the curtain on their prior sparring sessions at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, the two shared altering renditions of events, with Rakhmonov most recently claiming Garry had forgotten what had actually occurred in their clashes.
“I’m gonna have a chat with Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] to figure out what’s next,” Garry said. “There’s some big names, there’s some cool matchups. This Shavkat [Rakhmonov], 18-0 undefeated. I’d love to get my hands on him. I’ve trained with him. I have nothing, but respect for the guy, but I want to be the first guy to take his ‘0’ and I know I can do it. I just beat the fastest guy in the division, other than me, when it comes to striking and skills so I know I can do it.
“When it comes to grappling, we’ve seen the growth that I have. I’m excited to go out there and prove it against someone like him.”
Who wins in a future fight: Ian Garry or Shavkat Rakhmonov?