Ian Machado Garry lost his undefeated record to Shavkat Rakhmonov in a massive late-notice UFC 310 co-main event on Saturday night.
The Kazakh star had been due to get a shot at Belal Muhammad’s welterweight title, but that fight fell through due to a gruesome toe injury suffered by the champion. And after a number of big names turned the fight down, the Irishman stepped up to put his undefeated record on the line.
Heading into the fight, the pair’s collective undefeated records made it an historic bout under the UFC banner. They overtook Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa’s 2020 meeting for the most wins without a loss in the octagon at once.
Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Machado Garry RESULT
Ian Machado Garry walked first, and appeared almost emotional at the occasion. It struck a noticeable contrast to Shavkat Rakhmonov, who made his way into the octagon with the same intensity he brought to his previous 18 stoppage victories.
The pair shared an almost tentative glove touch, and took almost an entire minute before engaging at all. When they did, it was Rakhmonov who clinched up against the cage, looking strong as ever but unable to get the takedown for a long period.
Next to nothing happened in the first until the dying seconds, when they emerged from the clinch and Rakhmonov landed a huge right hand that likely sealed him the round. The second was a bit more open, but the pair annoyed fans with limited exchanges that the Kazakh star seemed to be winning.
The third round was far and away the best for Garry, who managed to bank some big leg kicks and get his strikes off in the first half. However, he spent the second part against the cage, but referee Marc Goddard got involved to break them up and force some more action.
There was a slight delay to the fourth round as the Irishman had to change his shorts, which had been ripped during a clinch against the cage. And when they did restart, Rakhmonov managed to finally land that elusive takedown, although Garry survived it and got back to the feet.
The fifth began with another big takedown attempt, but he ended up on his back and with Garry in pole position for a submission. Rakhmonov managed to survive and get back on top, but ate a number of big elbows from the Irishman.
They ended up back on their feet for the final exchange, but it was ultimately too little to late for Garry who tasted defeat for the first time.
Belal Muhammad had picked Ian Machado Garry to win
Heading into Saturday’s co-main event, Belal Muhammad was one of the most interested viewers. He repeatedly insisted that he felt Garry would take the victory, insisting that the Irishman had less flaws in his game.
“Honestly, I think it’s going to be Ian,” Muhammad told MMA Junkie last night. “He’s very smart with the way he fights, and he has good IQ of how to get a win. We’ve seen him get rocked before, but he always adjusts his style.
“I think he’s had harder matchups in the UFC, and he’s showed different game plans for all of his matchups, and I think he’ll be able to stick and move his way to victory. Shavkat has more of that aura about him.
“I think people overrate him. They put him on this big pedestal. I think a lot of people underrate Ian. They don’t think he’s really as good as his record shows, but for me, either one. It doesn’t matter because I’m going to take somebody’s 0.
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