Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry’s fight on Saturday has divided combat sports fans as both men put their unbeaten records on the line.
The pair are former teammates at Kill Cliff MMA in Florida, with Garry even admitting that he was once submitted by Rakhmonov during a sparring session. However, the Irishman is undefeated in his own right, and remains very confident of the victory.
One man who has trained with both and been up-close-and-personal is PFL star Paul Hughes. The Bellator title contender cornered Garry on the night he won his Cage Warriors belt, but is now on the mats day in day out with Rakhmonov at the gym in Florida.
Ian Machado Garry admits he was submitted in sparring session with Shavkat Rakhmonov
The biggest story in the build-up to the UFC 310 co-main event has come from old sparring when Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov trained together in Kill Cliff. The pair are the same weight and would share training sessions, with the Kazakh fighter claiming he got the best of the workouts.
In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Rakhmonov said: “At the time, even though his wife asked me if she can film the footage of us sparring, I accepted it. But they didn’t ask me if they can release it or not. I wonder why they didn’t release the other part of the sparring.”
When asked what happened, the fighter replied: “Ian Garry taps. It was a submission, choke. What’s most important for me is the win. Sparring is sparring, fighting is different.
“Ian Garry is a very tough opponent who is a good tactician, who comes in with a good game plan. So for me, it doesn’t matter, submission or stoppage. For me, what’s most important is to win.”
Paul Hughes backs Ian Machado Garry to defeat Shavkat Rakhmonov
One man who knows both Garry and Rakhmonov very well is Paul Hughes. The Derry native has been back in Florida to prepare for his fight with Usman Nurmagomedov in Dubai next month, and spends his time training in the same facility as the Kazakh titan.
But he is still backing his friend Garry, with whom he has been close since their days on the Irish regional circuit. “I am absolutely confident that Ian beats him” Hughes told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat ahead of the fight.
“Which is maybe something I shouldn’t be saying because I’ve been sharing the mats with Shavkat the last couple of weeks here in Kill Cliff. But at the end of the day it’s just my opinion and everyone’s got an opinion. I do think Ian goes out there and wins, definitely. I think he wins.”
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