As soon as the fight between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov was announced, the Irish fighter claimed, “I will take his 0, and I will take that belt.” Needless to say, with Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310 because of his foot infection, Garry was the perfect choice of opponent for the Kazakh fighter. But Garry wasn’t one to fear his opponents. After all, getting a new opponent on short notice seemed to have excited the Irishman. And now, he opined that he wouldn’t let Rakhmonov win against him.

Not too long ago, Henri Hooft, Garry’s head coach, had an interaction with the ‘Nomad’. Rakhmonov acknowledged the power that the 27-year-old carried with him and claimed that Garry would soon become a champion in the welterweight division. However, Rakhmonov told Hooft that Garry would get the belt only after he brought it to Kazakhstan. 

The Irish mixed martial artist reflected on Rakhmonov’s confession and said, “Shavkat Rakhmonov and him had a conversation and he said, ‘Shavkat knows you’re going to be the champion one day but he says me first and him later’. So, it’s unfortunate that one of are gonna have to lose. And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that he is not getting his hand raised.” 

Needless to say, Rakhmonov rejoiced when Ian Machado Garry agreed to fight him on short notice. But little did he know that it was working in favor of the Irish fighter. “I operate best in a short period of time… I just love to fight, and this is an opportunity to go out there and prove that I am better than everyone believes and knows I am,” was what Garry had said regarding the fight. But would the fight go in Garry’s favor? Let’s see what the experts predicted. 

UFC experts weigh in on Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry

Taking to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen talked about Garry’s strengths. He was younger than Shavkat Rakhmonov and packed quite a punch. But would he be able to take on an undefeated wrestling-heavy fighter? According to ‘The American Gangster’, “As impressive as he’s been, he’s never taken on a top wrestler.” He claimed, “Your matchups just play out the way that they play out. But I could not be in front of a camera and not tell the camera that I was the best, I could beat anybody, anybody they got in contract… like I would have understood the importance of promotion.”

On the other hand, Brendan Schaub believed that the only way Garry would defeat his opponent at the UFC 310 co-main event was by making the fight very boring. Talking to Bryan Callen on The Fighter and The Kid podcast, Schaub said, “It’s tough to pick against Shavkat but if anyone’s going to do it, it’s going to be Ian Garry. If Ian Garry wins though, it’s not an exciting fight. [He] stays on the outside, he keeps on the outside.”

Many believe that Garry would execute his phenomenal striking skills in the Octagon against Rakhmonov, and the ‘Nomad’ would return the gifts with the same intensity. The only thing that Irishman needed to stay away from was wrestling. Rakhmonov has trained himself well in the ground game. And he loves to squeeze the life out of his opponents with his wrestling. But to know the outcome of the fight, all we need to do is wait and watch.

What’s your take on the fight between Garry and Rakhmonov? Drop down to the comments below and let us know your predictions.