Ahead of their record-breaking fight this Saturday at UFC 310, Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov came to blows at the ceremonial weigh-ins.
After Belal Muhammad withdrew from his scheduled UFC 310 title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov, fellow undefeated welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry stepped in on short notice to fill the gap.
In an exciting turn of events, UFC CEO Dana White announced that the fight would serve as the co-main event and determine who will face ‘Remember The Name’ for the title next.
This matchup will set a new record for the largest combined undefeated record in UFC history, surpassing the previous mark held by Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa from their fight in 2020.
With the Irishman and ‘The Nomad’ having trained together before, respect was the tone at the onset of their fight camps. However, as the event approached, the tensions began to escalate.
Just a few hours after they both weighed in for their 170lb fight, the two faced off during the ceremonial weigh-ins, which served as their final encounter before the bout.
After a week filled with intensity, where it was revealed that Rakhmonov had previously submitted Garry in training, the two nearly clashed in their last opportunity to face off.
Earlier in the week, the undefeated Kazakh claimed he had submitted the Irishman multiple times during training, a statement Garry chose not to deny but acknowledged while vowing to “put a hole through his head” on fight night.
“We’re not gonna hit each other, we’re good, we’re good,” Garry told Dana White as they began their head-to-head confrontation.
Shortly after, Rakhmonov started to push his head against Garry’s, leading the Irishman to push back before Rakhmonov ultimately shoved him away.
Their encounter was quickly diffused, with officials stepping in to separate them before things escalated further, prompting White to send them off the stage.
Taking after his idol, Conor McGregor, Machado Garry is renowned for his confidence on the mic and his tendency to get into the heads of his opponents before fights.
However, due to his history with Rakhmonov, Garry maintained a level of respect during their exchanges, until the final face-off when he felt he had successfully entered Rakhmonov’s mind.
“I’m rattling his brain, Shavkat normally doesn’t get this emotional,” Garry explained in a social media video. “There’s an energy. He brought that good strong energy at the start.”
He continued, “But then I sat there and said to everyone, this is what I believe I said on the stage… but I said no, we’re good, let us get closer, we have respect.”
“The he started pushing his head against mine and I’m like, alright, I’m not here to headbutt you or to fight right now… Then he started pushing again so I said, ‘Get the f*ck out of my space, you wanna go right now, let’s go’, I fear no man on this planet.”
“I’m telling you, I’m in his f*cking noggin… Let’s go baby… Your 0 goes tomorrow, I remain undefeated… I’m going to finish you tomorrow,” Garry concluded.
Source link
