Shavkat Rakhmonov just wanted to fight.
After 6-0 start to his UFC run, Rakhmonov was originally set to challenge for gold against welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 310 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, a bone infection in Muhammad’s toe forced the champ’s withdrawal, leaving the would-be challenger worried he wouldn’t get to compete.
Rakhmonov, 30, was hopeful the shake-up would at least lead to an interim title bout, ideally against the former champion Kamaru Usman. Instead, Rakhmonov’s fellow undefeated contender Ian Machado Garry was pulled from his UFC Tampa main event on Dec. 14 and tapped as a replacement. A title may be out of the immediate picture, but five rounds of action remain on the docket for UFC 310’s new co-main event.
“I’m very glad,” Rakhmonov said Tuesday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “You know, a lot of fighters turned it down, and Ian was the one who backed up his word, so I’m glad I’m fighting.
“Kamaru Usman turned it down and pretty much everyone from [the] top 15 didn’t accept the fight.”
Garry also pushed for a potential Usman clash before his late entry into UFC 310 was finalized, though in an explosive interview with Uncrowned on Monday, he claimed the bout was never on the table.
Following Muhammad’s injury withdrawal from UFC 310, rumors and speculation swirled about whether Usman would take another short-notice opportunity of this caliber after a similar instance one year ago ended in a short-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ultimately, the former UFC welterweight champion opted to remain on the sidelines, and explained the situation — sort of — from his end on Monday.
“This is a fight that I was potentially going to slide into,” Usman said on his podcast, “Pound 4 Pound.” “I’ve touched on this a million times, which is crazy to me because I’m seeing online people are going, ‘Aw, you scared? You ducking? You ducked him? You scared? You scared?’
“I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ This is the same sentiment that I feel like people are doing to Jon Jones. It’s just like when people, where you’re fans or fans of a fighter don’t get their desired wish that they want, ‘That’s the fight I want,’ then it’s like, ‘Oh no, that guy must be scared because he didn’t take the fight.’ Like guys, shut up. Shut up. We step in there each and every time — I have what, 22 or 25 fights, I don’t know how many fights, but you think, everyone, ‘Oh, you scared.’ World champion and defending belts time and time again, ‘Oh, he’s scared.’ Shut up. Just because you didn’t get what you wanted. Guess what, it’s like your mom telling you, ‘No, you can’t have that toy today.’ So shut your mouth.”
Despite his continued absence from action, Usman hasn’t indicated he’s ready to walk away from the sport. Usman turns 38 next May and when he fights again he’ll look to snap a three-fight losing skid. Meanwhile, the former champion is sitting back and enjoying the intriguing clash on tap this weekend.
Rakhmonov vs. Garry is a fight with some familiarity between two men who previously trained together at Florida’s Kill Cliff FC gym. A lot has been made about their previous training sessions and who got the better of the other. Rakhmonov hasn’t been picky about his path to the title or one to brag about what happened between the two, but he’ll gladly call it how it was if it’s going to become a big talking point.
“Last time when Ian Garry won [against Michael Page in June], after the fight, he called me out. He wanted this fight in December, and now he backed up his words,” Rakhmonov said.
“At the time [when we trained together], his wife asked me if she can film the footage of the sparring, and I accepted it. But they didn’t ask me if they can release it or not, and I wonder why they didn’t release the other part of this sparring.”
Rakhmonov claims the duo sparred maybe three or four times in the past. What happened in the rest of the footage? Well, nothing positive for the Irishman, according to Rakhmonov.
“Ian Garry taps. It was a submission. A choke,” Rakhmonov said.
A first-round pick for most when drafting an MMA all-violence team, Rakhmonov’s flawless 18-0 record is rich with highlights as he’s finished all his opponents. The blend of outcomes has arguably been most impressive about the Kazakh’s run — he’s earned 10 submissions and eight knockouts.
Rakhmonov or Garry will solidify their right to a title shot with a win on Saturday. As the man who was already expected to challenge for gold next, the method is an afterthought for Rakhmonov. It’s all about victory and staying active to prove he’s a future champion.
“The most important [thing] for me is the win. You know, sparring is a sparring,” Rakhmonov said. “Fight is different, and Ian Garry is a very tough opponent who is a good tactician, who comes in with a good game plan. So for me, it doesn’t matter, submission or the stoppage. For me, it’s most important to win.
“I could have fought for the title. I could have just waited for the title fight, but I wanted to fight. I wanted to stay active, and I wanted to strengthen my position as a No. 1 contender. So for sure, I’m fighting for a title after the win.”
