Ahead of his return to action this weekend, Shavkat Rakhmonov has assembled his Avengers of mixed martial arts as he prepares for UFC 310 — featuring the blistering boxing of the unbeaten, Ilia Topuria, and the cadio engine of former lightweight great, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Rakhmonov, the current number three ranked welterweight contender, co-headlines UFC 310 this weekend in Las Vegas, taking on his fellow unbeaten contender, Ian Garry — with the victor officially billed to compete for an undisputed title against the current champion, Belal Muhammad.
Boasting an unbeaten 18-0 professional record since his move to mixed martial arts, Uzbekistan-born favorite, Shavkat Rakhmonov also kept his 100 percent finishing rate intact at UFC 296 last December, submitting former two-time title challenger, Stephen Thompson with a rear-naked choke in his latest Octagon venture.
Shavkat Rakhmonov labels his most well rounded MMA fighters
And speaking with ESPN MMA ahead of his title eliminator with Garry, Rakhmonov was tasked with creating his ideal mixed martial arts — and offered a definitive list of the best fighters for each attributes.
Picking the striking of Ilia Topuria, Rakhmonov would then go with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Demian Maia for the best grappling attribute, as well as the chin and ability to eat a shot by heavyweight kingpin, Jon Jones, before singling out Khabib Nurmagomedov for his cardio acumen.
Stoking the flames on his rivalry with former Kill Cliff FC training partner, Garry this week — Rakhmonov claimed he submitted the Dublin striker during a sparring session at the Deerfield Beach facility, forcing the unbeaten Portmarnock star to admit he was choked out during the meeting.
“Yes [Shavkat Rakhmonov submitted me], It’s training,” Ian Garry said told talkSPORT during a recent interview ahead of UFC 310. “If I told you about all the people that I absolutely burned and choked in training you would say I’m the best fighter in the world already, but the truth is we’re all learning and practising in training.
“So for me, if he wants to hold on to anything from two or three years ago, then hold onto it,” Ian Garry explained. “But I promise I’m a different beast than what I was at that point in time. I’m going to go out here and I’m gonna put a hole on his head on Saturday night.”