Shavkat Rakhmonov might have earned himself the decision win at UFC 310, securing his position as next in line for the welterweight title, but the undefeated Kazakh certainly didn’t have it all his own way.
In fact, there was a brief moment towards the end of the fifth and final round where opponent Ian Machado Garry almost locked in a rear-naked choke – but how close was ‘The Future’ to getting the submission win?
Shavkat Rakhmonov on Ian Machado Garry’s fifth-round choke and evolution
Shavkat Rakhmonov extended his unbeaten streak to 19 at UFC 310 with a solid unanimous decision win over Garry; although the official stats indicate that the fight was a far closer affair than may realize.
Despite Rakhmonov garnering some 11 minutes of control time, the Irishman would out-land the ‘Nomad’ 42-37 on significant strikes, with his second submission attempt almost bringing the contest to a dramatic late conclusion.
“It was a great, competitive fight – I gave everything to get the win and I’m happy [with the result],” Rakhmonov told TNT Sports, before revealing just how close that fifth-round choke was.
“It was an uncomfortable situation, you know, but I managed to escape it – if I was in the same position [as Ian Machado Garry], I would have taken his head off.
“You can say he got better; he evolved, he wasn’t like that a few years ago… So, it wasn’t easy, fighting isn’t easy and [he put me in] some difficult situations and I had to adjust during the fight.”
Rakhmonov continued to praise Garry’s grappling at the post-fight press conference, confirming the obvious, that ‘The Future’ had come on leaps and bounds since their infamous sparring sessions.
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“For sure he’s done a lot of work, he’s improved a lot, it was a great position for him, he’s someone who has never lost for a reason and its great experience for me.
“It was great takedown defense and great defense overall; he’s not some guy from the streets, he’s working every day in the gym getting better.”
Ian Machado Garry disputes UFC 310 loss as stock continues to rise in defeat
To his credit, Ian Machado Garry has remained humble in defeat, the first of his professional career, explaining to reporters at the post-fight press conference that “I do not feel like I lost today.
“My hand might not have been 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**** human… I showed that I can hang with the single best in the division, and I proved tonight that I can absolutely be a champion.
“He won by opinion, and that’s ok, I can live with that and I’m very happy with my performance tonight,” continued the popular welterweight, who followed up with an Instagram post claiming that ‘15-1 never felt so good.’
“I love all of the support… 25 minutes with the baddest man in the division, when everyone was afraid to step up and step in, I did. And I showed the world that the boogeyman, the scariest man in the division, is f**** human.
“He’s human and I nearly beat him… He’s human, and two-and-a-half minutes of that fight, and it changes [the result].”