"Doesn’t sound like a #1 contender to me" - Shavkat Rakhmonov rips into Ian Machado Garry while laying down "facts"

Shavkat Rakhmonov (left) goes off on Ian Machado Garry
Shavkat Rakhmonov (left) goes off on Ian Machado Garry's (right) resume. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

Shavkat Rakhmonov doesn't believe that Ian Machado Garry deserves a title shot against Islam Makhachev and recently outlined some "facts" about the Irishman's resume.

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Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena via a dominant unanimous decision at UFC 322 earlier this month and became the new welterweight champion. A week later, Garry defeated Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision at UFC Qatar and called for a title shot against Makhachev in his post-fight octagon interview.

After Makhachev's title win, Rakhmonov called for a title opportunity against the Dagestani grappling savant via an X post. The undefeated Kazakh fighter is coming off a unanimous decision win over Garry at UFC 310 last December. While he was booked for a title shot against Muhammad at UFC 315 earlier this year, an injury forced him to withdraw from the contest.

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It appears he's ready to challenge for the title. In a recent X post, Rakhmonov dismissed Garry staking his claim over the next championship opportunity and wrote:

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"No trash talk, just facts: Ian Garry lost to me while I was injured. He hasn’t finished anyone in his last six fights, and [Carlos] Prates nearly stopped him. Doesn’t sound like a #1 contender to me."
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Ian Machado Garry gets honest about Shavkat Rakhmonov potentially getting the next title shot

Ian Machado Garry recently explained why Shavkat Rakhmonov should not be getting the next title shot against Islam Makhachev and claimed the Kazakh fighter won't be seen for "very long" thanks to his knee issues.

At the UFC Qatar post-fight press conference, Garry explained his stance on Makhachev's next potential challenger and said:

"Shavkat Rakhmonov, I love him, I have nothing but respect for him, but I busted his knee up pretty bad in that fight just like I did to Belal tonight, right? He has had two knee surgeries; the first one failed, and he’s still checking the second one out. We won’t see him for very long." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.
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