Though Ian Garry lost the #1 welterweight title contender fight at UFC 310, the Irishman troubled and challenged Shavkat ‘Nomad’ Rakhmonov like no other fighter before. Stepping in on short notice, Garry put on a great show, blocking takedowns and almost choking Nomad out, impressing fans as well as Conor McGregor.
“Very good fight! Well done Ian, future is right,” wrote McGregor in a now-deleted post on X.
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) December 8, 2024
A fan praised Garry indirectly by reflecting on the unprecedented nature of the result — Rakhmonov fight going the distance: “Shavkat losing his 100% finish rate hurts”.
Another fan said what everyone else seemed to agree on: “Ian Garry’s stock doesn’t fall as a result of that loss. He outperformed expectations and acquitted himself well”.
Originally, Rakhmonov was set to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title. But a last-minute injury forced Muhammad out, opening the door for the surging Garry to step in.
The matchup brought intrigue for the talent on display as well as the promise of a battle fuelled by skill and familiarity.
After five rounds of evenly matched exchanges, Rakhmonov got the nod on all three judges’ scorecards (48-47) to take the win. It was the Kazakh fighter’s first victory by decision. He seemed distraught walking out of the octagon, possibly upset at losing his unblemished run of KO and submission wins.
Garry can be proud of how he held his own against Rakhmonov. The Irishman has never been the most loved fighter on the UFC roster. But that has got to do more with his life choices rather than his abilities inside the octagon.
Hopefully, after tonight’s battle, he will be considered a serious threat to any of the top contenders in the welterweight division.
How Garry vs. Rakhmonov panned out
Both Rakhmonov and Garry jostled, trying to get on the upper hand in the first round. ‘Nomad’ spent most of the round in a clinch trying to get a takedown. However, Garry, to everyone’s surprise, did extremely well to keep the fight on the feet.
The second round followed a similar script. Rakhmonov had Garry against the fence for long periods in the clinch trying to take the fight to the ground. But the Irish fighter did well to hold his own.
However, during the course of the round, Rakhmonov did land a few stinging right hands that slowed Garry down.
In the third round, both fighters threw caution to the wind and exchanged strikes. While Rakhmonov did grapple a bit, for the most part, the action took place in the center of the octagon. Once again, Rakhmonov landed a few stinging right hands.
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The fourth round saw a much better version of Garry. He started strong with leg kicks that buckled Rakhmonov. However, a bit later in the round, ‘Nomad’ shot for a single leg and converted that into a takedown. Garry was on his back for the better part of a minute before getting back on his feet.
The way Garry ended the round on his back would have certainly affected how the judges scored the overall fight.
The final round was arguably the best for Garry, who had Rakhmonov in a rear-necked choke and then a face crank for about two minutes. At multiple points it looked like Rakhmonov was close to tapping out. However, the Kazakh fighter weathered the storm and eventually got out of the position.
The back and forth continued for the rest of the round. At the end, Garry himself raised Rakhmonov’s hand, acknowledging the great show they had just put on.
