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Shavkat Rakhmonov Hands Ian Machado Garry First Loss in UFC 310 Co-Main Event

"Nomad" went to the scorecards for the first time in his career at UFC 310.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

Undefeated fighters Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry met in the co-main event of UFC 310 to decide the next challenger for the welterweight title.

Rakhmonov Survies Late Rally To Defeat Garry

UFC 310 was originally supposed to feature a headlining title bout between defending champion Belal Muhammad and Rakhmonov, but after Muhammad was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury Garry was pulled from UFC Tampa to step in against "Nomad" for a five-round co-main event.

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Even with a matchup between UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja and promotional newcomer Kai Asakura set as the new main event, the matchup between Rakhmonov and Garry was arguably the most dominant storyline for fans during the lead-up to UFC 310.

Rakhmonov entered the night as a sizeable favorite despite the fact that Garry had also never tasted defeat in his professional fighting career, and "Nomad" wasted little time in the opening round before he clinched up with the Irishman in order to pursue a takedown.

The two men started to utilize their striking more in the second frame after the first round played out largely as a stalemate, and with Rakhmonov seemingly up on the scorecards Garry began to significantly increase his output in a tightly-contested third round.

"The Future" made UFC history in between the third and fourth rounds when he swapped out his ripped fight shorts for a new pair, but Rakhmonov finally managed to solve Garry's takedown defense and spent significant time in top position to take what seemed to be a commanding lead heading into the final five minutes.

Rakhmonov shot for another takedown early in the fifth round but ended up with Garry on his back and had to fend off several rear naked choke attempts, but the 30-year-old did enough in the early rounds to secure a unanimous decision and set up a welterweight title fight with Muhammad.

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The welterweight co-main event followed impressive stoppage-wins from Doo Ho Choi and Bryce Mitchell in the first two PPV matchups at UFC 310, and the night's main card also saw former interim heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane take a controversial split decision against Alexander Volkov.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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