UFC 310: Ian Machado Garry is beaten for the first time by Shavkat Rakhmonov

Machado Garry took the fight against Rakhmonov on short notice last month, replacing Muhammad when the champion pulled out due to injury.

Instead of making the fight with Rakhmonov an interim title fight, the UFC made it a number one contender fight, with Machado Garry adding, “Everything was on the line.”

The Irishman has risen quickly through the UFC ranks since his debut in 2021, winning eight fights, but in Rakhmonov he faced a man dubbed the UFC’s “Boogeyman.”

The Kazakh fighter had stopped all 18 of his previous opponents – until Machado Garry.

The two showed respect for each other during fight week, having trained together in the past, and Machado Garry greeted Rakhmonov with a fist bump as he entered the octagon.

There was little action to speak of in the first two rounds as the two fought for position in the clinch against the cage and Rakhmonov landed a few eye-catching right hands.

Machado Garry began to have success in the third round when he took the lead with a series of kicks before having to change his shorts at the end of the round after suffering a large tear to his back.

Rakhmovov took control in the fourth round as he landed the first takedowns of the fight before throwing some heavy punches on the ground.

With Machado Garry knowing he likely needed a finish to secure the win, his biggest moment came on the final lap.

After recapturing Rakhmonov, Machado fought Garry to a rear-naked choke on the ground as the crowd continued to cheer on the Irishman, but the Kazakh defended himself well before making it safely to the end of the fight.

The pair showed further respect by kneeling in front of each other and exchanging a few words after the fight before raising each other’s arms in the air.