Two years ago, UFC welterweight bogeyman Shavkat Rakhmonov took a shot.
“I believe, God willing, I will be a champion in 2023 or 2024,” Rakhmonov told The Post through an interpreter in June 2022.
The Kazakhstan native won't be able to fully fulfill that declaration — his scheduled UFC 310 title shot against titleholder Belal Muhammad was canceled due to the champion's injury — But Rakhmonov can still set himself up for a fresh start with a win against Ian Machado Garry. The same pay-per-view event Saturday (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) will be held at T-Mobile Arena.
The undefeated 170-pound fight is officially set for five rounds in a non-title co-main event and is being considered as a title eliminator with the winner facing Muhammad sometime next year.
Rakhmonov (18-0, 18 finishes) and Machado Garry (15-0, 8 finishes) have passed all previous Octagon tests and impressed since coming to the UFC in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Gave.
“Even if it's not a championship fight, it's a big fight for me,” Rakhmonov told The Post via video call from Las Vegas on Wednesday. “I’m really motivated to win against undefeated fighter Ian Garry.”
While Machado Garry has been more active in a shorter span of time with an 8-0 record and three (T)KO wins, Rakhmonov has never fought long distance in any of his 18 professional fights. He has the rare distinction of not having any, including all six professional games. UFC.
Rakhmonov had never fought past the third round horn, even before the UFC Championship, when a fight was scheduled to go five rounds.
If Rachmonov, who hasn't fought since his submission win over former title challenger Stephen Thompson last December, wakes up Sunday, he can say whether he won or lost, but if he is still 27 If you find yourself playing against older players, there's a good chance that's the case. The Irishman is confident that his training will keep him from getting exhausted in the unfamiliar territory of the fourth or fifth round.
“I feel great even in the later rounds,” Rakhmonov says of such training scenarios. “I can't say it's too difficult. This is not an easy sport, but that's part of the sport. You have to overcome difficult moments and still come out victorious.”
Rakhmonov and Machado Ghaly previously met while training together at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The two sparred together several times a few years ago, before Machado-Galley tried other gyms.
Fight Week dredged up sparring footage of the two shared by Machado Ghaly's team – it was Rachmonov Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show” Conveniently left out this week was the scene where the Kazakhstani player choked his training partner and tapped him out.
Sparring is, of course, practicing, and Machado Gary said this week that neither man is at full speed, but that does not make for an interesting matchup that the 30-year-old Sparling, for example, had been anticipating. I'm going to cast it. line.
“We didn't see each other much outside of practice. We only met during sessions,” recalls Rachmonov, who also trains in his home country. “Right then, I knew he was on his way to being at the top of the division as a fighter that I would meet someday. I can't say he's my friend. Who's the better fighter?” It's just a sport's interest to know if there is.
While Rakhmonov has proven to be a capable fighter in all facets of the fight, much of his best work since his UFC debut has come from tormenting his opponents on the mat with grappling, especially ground and pound. Ta.
Machado Garry, on the other hand, follows in the footsteps of his martial arts idol and countryman Conor McGregor, primarily as a striker, but with a high fighting IQ and the ability to step away from long-distance work to do what it takes to win. He is also a player who proudly advertises his desire to do the same.
Years of success with powerhouses from former Soviet countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan – Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Merab Dvalishvili, among others – and Rakhmonov's own displayed prowess combined with his grappling skills to match those of Machado Ghaly. This has influenced the general belief that there will be too many.
Machado Garry completed his perfect career as a pro with a decision victory over Michael “Venom” Page in June, but after training with Charles Oliveira and Demian Maia, two of the UFC's most legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu masters, I am raving about everything I have learned. History — Betting favorite Rachmonov prefers to turn the conversation to his actions on Saturday.
“The match will reveal which grappling technique is better,” Rakhmonov said. “There's no point in saying much right now.”
