Undefeated UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov is not worried about the prospect of facing Ian Machado Garry in the cage.
Rakhmonov was slated to challenge the 170-pound champion Belal Muhammad at the UFC 310 event Las Vegas next month before a foot injury forced the Muhammad’s withdrawal and left UFC matchmakers scrambling to fill the void atop their end-of-year numbered fight card.
One name floated in the media and by the fighter himself was the also unbeaten Irishman Garry, who was instead placed into a December fight with rising contender Joaquin Buckley knowing that if he extends his UFC record to a perfect 9-0 (16-0 overall), it stands to reason that a title bout would follow soon afterwards.
But should a bout with Garry materialise, be it for a world title or otherwise, the Kazakh fighter says he is confident of extending his winning streak against his former Kill Cliff FC training partner.
“I’m ready if it’s going to be him after he wins his next fight. If it is, it could be good for both of us,” Rakhmonov said via his interpreter on The Ariel Helwani Show, as noted by MMA Junkie.
“I’m ready if it’s going to be him after he wins his next fight. If it is, it could be good for both of us. We can do it. If he wants to try and take my zero, he can try, but I know the same thing is going to happen that’s happened in the training.
“I’m going to just keep it the same way, and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to beat him,” he added. “You know, it’s just training. I don’t want to praise myself too much. It’s just training, but I feel comfortable with how the training went. Whether it was striking or the ground, I felt comfortable and in control. So, I’m pretty confident in this matchup.”
As it stands, a new opponent has not yet been sourced for Rakhmonov and it is uncertain as to whether the UFC will seek to keep him on the UFC 310 card or postpone the title bout with Muhammad into the new year. For now, a flyweight title bout between champion Alexandre Pantoja and the debuting for Rizin champion Kai Asakura.
