Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov shared an intriguing backstory that added extra weight to their clash at UFC 310. Once training partners at Kill Cliff FC, the two undefeated fighters had honed their skills by sparring against each other numerous times. Fans were buzzing with one burning question: Who would experience their first MMA loss? Well, it was the Irishman whose spotless record is now marred by a loss. And the Kazakh phenom added another win to his collection and is now next in line to contend for the 170lbs gold.

However, Garry is not deterred from his goals, but rather even more fired up to continue on his journey to greatness. Even Conor McGregor encouraged him. In a now-deleted tweet, he wrote, “Very good fight! Well done Ian, future is right.” But Daniel Cormier, on his YouTube channel, had a message for the Irishman. What did he say?

He gave his assessment saying, “Co-main event we had Ian Machado Garry vs Shavkat Rakhmonov and it was good. It was a good fight. It picked up late. Machado Garry will look back on this and be very disappointed and the way that he managed rounds 1 and 2 because in rounds 1 and 2, not much happened at all. But the few things that did happen were enough to give Shavkat those rounds.”

As per the scorecards, Rakhmonov won by unanimous decision—48-47, 48-47, 48-47.

“Shavkat did a better job in round 4, getting takedowns. But in round 5, Machado Garry was pressing, making him work. He almost got a submission. That was exciting. When you get guys that know each other very well there is a danger that the fight can turn into something that you kind of expect if you know mixed martial arts. Where it’s almost like a chess match. It’s not as fun. That’s kind of what we got with these two tonight,” Cormier concluded.

With Shavkat Rakhmonov emerging victorious, he wasted no time in sending a clear message to Belal Muhammad, who was in the audience for the fight. The duo vowed to face each other in what promises to be a thrilling showdown in their next fight. Fans are already buzzing with anticipation for this impending clash for the 170lbs title. So what’s going on with Belal Muhammad?

Belal Muhammad aims to get back inside the Octagon soon!

The welterweight champion, Belal Muhammad, recently spoke with MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, revealing that no date has been confirmed for his next fight. He emphasized that his priority was to fully recover from his bone inflection before finalizing a return. “Just spoke with Belal Muhammad, and he’s hyped to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov next,” Bronsteter shared via X. “His primary focus is feeling 100% again, and then he is happy to discuss a return date. He would prefer not to compete during Ramadan, if possible.”

Interestingly, both Muhammad and Rakhmonov share the Muslim faith, meaning they are unlikely to compete during Ramadan, which falls in March.

This adds a unique layer of mutual respect and scheduling considerations to their highly anticipated bout. For Rakhmonov, this fight poses a significant challenge. Muhammad’s elite wrestling skills will test the Kazakh in ways that his previous opponents, including Ian Garry, who is more of a striking specialist, could not.

‘Nomad’ will need to showcase not just his striking but also his grappling resilience against Muhammad’s relentless ground game. With the clash brewing between these two elite athletes, the next chapter in their rivalry promises to be captivating for UFC fans.

While the path is clear for Rakhmonov, Ian Garry may have to fight a couple of top fighters in the division before he can challenge for the title. It will be interesting to see what’s next for him. As of now, Garry is proud of how he fought. “I might’ve not gotten my hand raised, but I came out, and I fought a giant. I came out, and I fought the boogeyman, and I showed that he’s f–king human. I went out there on three weeks’ notice, I saved this event, I saved this card and against the scariest man in the division.”