Shavkat Rakhmonov is 19-0 with 18 finishes and became the first fighter to defeat welterweight phenom Ian Garry, yet somehow “Nomad” was a disappointment at UFC 310 last weekend in Las Vegas.
Undefeated welterweight title contender, Shavkat Rakhmonov, defeated Ian Garry in the UFC 310 co-main event last weekend in Las Vegas, handing “The Future” the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Defeating Garry by not-fabulous decision marked the first time “Nomad” has been to the judges’ scorecards in 19 professional fights, which could be attributed to a knee injury. Or perhaps the Irish phenom was just that good.
Either way, a lot of Rakhmonov’s peers left UFC 310 feeling underwhelmed.
“Shavkat couldn’t get anything,” UFC welterweight Michael Page said on YouTube (transcribed by MMA News). “Rakhmonov’s fitness and muscular endurance definitely let him down. His balance seems to be very off. This was definitely, by far, not the best Rakhmonov we’ve seen. Although he’s won it, I think anybody looking at this will look at him like, ‘Yeah, I can beat this guy.’”
It seems you’re only as good as your last performance in combat sports.
“Not saying he’s not dangerous,” Page continued. “You can see he’s definitely a dangerous person. But this wasn’t good. This wasn’t his best performance. A hundred percent now, this Shavkat here, if he had fought [welterweight champion] Belal [Muhammad], Belal was munching him, yamming him for breakfast.”
Page was defeated by Garry when they went to war at UFC 303.
Rakhmonov was originally booked to fight Muhammad in the UFC 310 headliner; however, “Remember the Name” was bounced by an untimely toe infection and forced to withdraw. Matchmakers were quick to pivot and lift Garry from UFC Tampa on short notice.
Taking “The Future’s” place in “The Sunshine State” is Colby Covington.
No word yet on when the recently-cleared Muhammad will return to defend his 170-pound title, but first or second quarter of 2025 is probably a safe bet. Depending on what happens with the Covington fight, fans may already have the next eligible title contender.
Who may or may not get munched and yammed later next year.