Ian Garry has claimed that Shavkat Rakhmonov is mistaken if he thinks their UFC 310 fight will be anything similar to the good old sparring sessions they have had before. The former training partners are stepping away from the Kill Cliff FC mats and finally gearing up to compete inside the Octagon to snatch away each other’s unbeaten streak. However, Rakhmonov has just revealed his side of the sparring story and from the looks of it, the Kazakh phenom got the better of Garry.

He revealed it during an interview with Ariel Helwani in a video clip shared on X. It showcased Rakhmonov smirking and spilling the beans on his training partner/opponent. He said, “His wife asked me if she could film the footage of his sparring and I accepted it. But they did not ask me if they can release it. And I wonder why they did not release the other part of the sparring you know.” Helwani was surprised and asked, “What would we see in the other part?” The undefeated Kazakh then revealed, “How Ian Garry tapping? Yeah, it was a submission Joke.”

Interestingly, while the undefeated Kazakh may have been slightly amused by Garry’s claim that he bested Rakhmonov in sparring, he didn’t shy away from acknowledging Garry’s potential as a future champion. “The Future” shared how the 170-pound contender believes he is destined for greatness.

“When I got there, Shavkat was training there as well. Me and Shavkat have trained a lot together,” Garry revealed during UFC Countdown. The Irishman further said, “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter. Henri Hooft told me that Shavkat Rakhmonov and he had a conversation, and Shavkat said, ‘He’s going to be the champion one day.” But Rakhmonov added a key caveat: “Me first, and him later.”

Meanwhile, welterweight standout Vicente Luque has shared his perspective on what could define the “ideal scenario” for UFC 310, adding more intrigue to an already highly anticipated event.

Vicente Luque weighs in on Rakhmonov vs. Garry

While speaking to Mike Perry on the latter’s podcast, Luque explained why the Kazakh has been undefeated for so long. The Brazilian has already trained with Rakhmonov and spoke from his personal experience.

“I’ve trained recently with Shavkat for this fight, you know. We’ve trained sometimes and he’s really good, he’s good, you know, it’s not just hype. He’s very good all around, he strikes very well, and he has good conditioning, good grappling, and good wrestling. And I think he could be a champion in the division,” Luque said.

However, he did not diminish Garry’s prowess and admitted that the 15-win fighter has improved and updated his skill set. He still gave Rakhmonov the upper hand for his superior grappling skills. Of course, the Rakhmonov-Garry battle is a title eliminator, and the champion is predicted to fight Belal Muhammad next.

Since Luque thinks the winner will be Rakhmonov, he expects a potential Muhammad-Rakhmonov title clash. Who do you see coming out on top when the duo finally meets inside the octagon at UFC 310? Tell us in the comment section below!