Shavkat Rakhmonov responds to Ian Machado Garry’s post-UFC 303 callout: ‘Ian forgot what happened during those training sessions’
If Ian Machado Garry needs a reminder of how things went when he trained with Shavkat Rakhmonov, ‘Nomad’ is more than happy to remind him.
Returning to the Octagon to open the UFC 303 main card, ‘The Future’ extended his unbeaten streak to 15, 8-0 in the UFC, with a solid three-round performance against former Bellator MMA standout Michael ‘Venom’ Page. Though Dana White felt the fight was a draw, Garry did enough to get the nod on all three judges’ scorecards, keeping his ‘O’ intact.
Addressing media members following his big win, Garry clarified that he wanted to fight up the rankings his next time out and had one particular name in mind.
“I’m gonna have a chat with Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White] to figure out what’s next,” Garry said at the post-fight press conference. “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 ‘O’ 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.”
Though Garry did not give any additional insight into how their training sessions went, Rakhmonov was more than happy to enlighten fans on social media while offering Garry a stern reminder of their time in the gym, should he so desire it.
“Looks like Ian forgot what happened during those training sessions,” Rakhmonov wrote on X. “I don’t mind reminding him in the future.”
Is Shavkat Rakhmonov ready to put his ranking on the line against Ian Machado Garry?
As it stands, Rakhmonov is sitting in the No. 3 spot in the welterweight rankings, four slots above Garry, though that could change depending on how the Irishman’s win over the No. 14 ranked ‘Venom’ affects his own position in the rankings. Regardless, ‘Nomad’ is, by all accounts, the next man in line for a title opportunity once reigning champion Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad take care of a bit of business on July 27.
However, it sounds like Rakhmonov is more than willing to put his spot in line at stake for an opportunity to hand Ian Machado Garry his first loss and shut the Irishman’s mouth on MMA’s biggest stage.
Does Garry stand a chance against ‘Nomad’ and his 100% finish rate, or is ‘The Future’ biting off a bit more than he can chew this time around? Perhaps we’ll find out soon enough.
