The cage doors will close on Saturday night, but the story of Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov began long before UFC 310. Back when they shared the same gym at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, Florida, these two future UFC stars sharpened their skills alongside one another. Now, with Belal Muhammad’s health issues putting him on the sideline, Garry and Rakhmonov are set to throw down to determine who gets a shot at the champion next.

Both men are hungry for gold, but there’s more to this fight than just the belt. According to Chael Sonnen, the build-up to this bout has been lacking one critical element. What is it? The UFC veteran explained that ‘The Future’ needs to bring up something that may give him the psychological edge over the man he once shared the training room with!  

Chael Sonnen brings up an interesting tactic Ian Garry can use to rattle Shavkat Rakhmonov

In a recent clip shared on Instagram, from the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show, Chael Sonnen stated, “Rakhmonov and Ian Garry are teammates. They know who’s going to win this fight. Not only do they have a good idea of who the man is when they’re together, they let the UFC add 70% in the form of two more rounds to it, and they both signed off without hesitation. It’s not a title fight, it’s not said to be a title eliminator, even though that’s likely what it is. It’s not even a main event, and it’s one of truly, it’s one of the great stories.”

As mentioned above, Garry and Rakhmonov once trained together at Kill Cliff FC, and those sessions hold the key to understanding the underlying tension of this battle according to Sonnen. The MMA world is familiar with the phrase “what happens in the gym stays in the gym,” but the UFC legend pointed out how that secrecy adds to the intrigue. Because that’s where Ian Garry can gain a significant edge coming into this matchup.

How? Sonnen further went on to share, “Ian Garry has left that gym. He’s got a little bit of a mindset, which is, yes, Rakhmonov was better at that time, but Rakhmonov is the same guy. Theory being, he’s doing the same thing with the same people, I have left, I have evolved, I am better. And it is the gains that I have made, is going to let me overcome my former teammate. That is an amazing story, that’s not going to be told.”

Since leaving the Kill Cliff gym, Garry has been training at ‘Chute Box Diego Lima’ in Brazil which has produced names like Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua, and more recently, Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira! It’s a tale of growth versus consistency—Rakhmonov, the steady force, and Garry, the dynamic challenger who has seemingly taken his game to the next level since their days training together.

But with that being said, Ian Garry may have already fired off the first salvo, one that has drawn an interesting response from Shavkat Rakhmonov as he pointed out that ‘The Future’ may not have shown the fans the entire picture!

Rakhmonov questions why Garry didn’t release “other part” of their past sparring footage  

The UFC 310 co-main event promises fireworks. Shavkat Rakhmonov, one of the welterweight division’s most promising stars, faces Ian Garry in a five-round showdown. According to odds by BetOnline (subject to change), Rakhmonov is coming into the fight as a -360 favorite over the +295 underdog, Garry. While Rakhmonov may be the heavy favorite, their history adds a fascinating twist, a glimpse of which ‘The Future’ has already shared on social media recently.

But was it the truth or were some things omitted? In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, ‘Nomad’ revealed, “I wonder why they didn’t release the other part of the sparring.” Probably because of what happened next in training as Rakhmonov further stated, “Ian Garry taps, it was a submission, choke.”

But just because Rakhmonov had the edge in the past doesn’t mean he’s underestimating his opponent. The stakes for both men are sky-high, and as such, the Kazakh warrior stated, “Sparring is sparring, fighting is different.”

As the fight night approaches, it’s hard to ignore the deep storylines at play. The gym wars and training camps, the shared history at Kill Cliff FC, add a layer of intrigue to this fight that can’t be ignored. But as Chael Sonnen pointed out, this story isn’t fully written yet. Garry has already thrown down the gauntlet with his social media posts, leaving fans wondering what’s real and what’s been left out of the narrative.

But ultimately, it all comes down to what happens inside the Octagon at UFC 310. Will Ian Garry’s evolution be enough to overcome Shavkat Rakhmonov’s unrelenting style? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!