Ian Machado Garry explains why he didn’t lose his UFC 310 duel with “Boogeyman” Shavkat Rakhmonov

Ian Machado Garry presented Shavkat Rakhmonov with the toughest test of his career – a test he is not entirely sure his former sparring partner has passed.

In the co-main event of UFC 310 on Saturday, Garry and Rakhmonov met for five rounds with the No. 1 contender at 170 pounds on the line. In a fight that was characterized by high technical skill and occasionally little action, Rakhmonov secured victory with a trio of 48:47 points. This improved Rakhmonov’s professional record to 19-0, while Garry suffered the first defeat of his 16-fight career.

This setback did not discourage Garry in the least as he spoke confidently of his performance to the media at the post-fight press conference that evening.

“I’m humble in victory and defeat, I always have been, and I don’t feel like I lost today,” Garry said. “My hand may not have been raised, but I came out and fought a giant. I came out and fought the Boogeyman and showed he was a fucking human being. I went there with three weeks notice, I saved that event, I saved that map against the scariest man in the division, and I went there and stopped almost everything.

“There was never any impression that he had stopped the fight, I sent him into two submissions. I took him back. I had fun. I’ve shown that I can compete with the best in the division and I proved tonight in the short term that I can absolutely be a champion for five rounds and there are no gaps in my game. The man didn’t bring me anything tonight. He won by opinion and that’s fine. I can live with that and am very happy with my performance tonight.”

Garry was a replacement for UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who was scheduled to face Rakhmonov in Saturday’s main event before having to withdraw due to a foot infection. That changed the odds of the contest for Rakhmonov, who remains in line to fight Muhammad after edging out Garry.

Considering how close the score was, Garry doesn’t think he’s far from Rakhmonov’s place in the rankings.

“I went up against the scariest man and almost took him down,” Garry said. “It shows I have a championship mentality. I stood in front of him for twenty-five minutes, he had no more than me. I stopped every single one of his takedowns, it was clean, I made him fight with all his might for everything. This shows the level of my talent and I deserve to be among the best in the world and I deserve even more respect now.”

Garry and Rakhmonov battled each other in all phases of the match, with much of the contest consisting of grueling wrestling matches against the fence. Despite Rakhmonov’s reputation as an elite wrestler, he had to work hard to score takedowns against Garry, who is more known as a striker.

The ground fight was so closely contested that Garry actually threatened a rear-naked choke in the final round, which Rakhmonov deftly defended before returning to the top. Garry was asked if he thinks they will face each other again one day, and he actually foresees a future where they will have a trilogy.

“I said it before the fight, I told you before: I believe that he is better than everyone and I believe that I am better than everyone and we will see each other several times in our careers,” said Gary. “I don’t think we’ll see each other again, I think it might be twice. I think he’s so good and I know I’m so good.”

For now, Garry is happy to have silenced many of his critics, including the oddsmakers who pegged the Irishman as one of the biggest underdogs on the card. It wasn’t his day, but if he meets Rakhmonov in the cage again, he’s sure the outcome will be different.

“For me it’s constant growth and development and as you go up the ladder you see the battle with Neil Magny,” Garry said. “Domination from start to finish. They watch the fight with Geoff Neal. I went out there and hit a man who hit like a truck. I beat him cleanly, I beat him efficiently and I did it well. (Michael Page), nobody likes to deal with this man. I went out and dismantled his punch clinically. Caught his kick, brought him to the ground and controlled him. Now I’m up against the scariest man. I fight all the people people don’t want to fight and people reject me left, right and center. I’m nothing but a gamer, I have nothing but respect for everyone I work with and everyone I fight. One day I will be a champion.

“Today is a testament to how hard I work, how talented I am, and that this guy who went 18-0, 18 finishes before this fight didn’t look like he was that bogeyman today, did he? Did he look the same? I will come back and beat this man, I promise you, and I am so looking forward to that day.