There are only two UFC shows left before Dana White and his staff recess for the holiday season, including this Saturday night’s UFC 310 from Las Vegas and T-Mobile Arena. Barring any last-minute alterations to the bout order, the final version of UFC 310 features 14 fights from MMA‘s top promotion.
Among the fights scheduled to take place over the weekend in Sin City is a critical affair in the welterweight ranks between two fighters who have yet to lose thus far in their respective professional careers. No. 3 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will make his seventh walk to the famed Octagon versus No. 7 contender Ian Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC).
According to the fight contract signed, the advertised maximum length of the UFC 311 main event is five rounds at five minutes per round. A UFC Flyweight Championship fight pitting current titleholder Alexandre Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) against challenger Kai Asakura (21-4 MMA, UFC promotional debut) will immediately follow.
Rakhmonov and Garry Already Have History With One Another
While the UFC 310 main event will mark the first time that these two men will have locked horns inside the cage, they know each other very well as it is. Earlier on in the fighters’ careers, they were teammates at Kill Cliff FC in Deerfield Beach, FL.
On Sunday, the UFC’s official YouTube channel released UFC 310 Countdown. During a segment in the program, Garry reveals details of a discussion that took place between Rakhmonov and former kickboxer Henri Hooft, a teacher for Combat Club in Boynton Beach, FL as well as Kill Cliff FC’s lead instructor.
“When I signed to the UFC, I had no gym to train at,” Garry recalls. “My wife said to me, ‘If you could list five of the world’s best gyms that you’d want to go train at, where would it be?’ I said, ‘I’m not listing five, I’m listing one, it’s Kill Cliff.’ When we got there, Shavkat was training there, as well. Me and Shavkat trained a lot together, I think he’s a phenomenal fighter.”
The Conversation Continued
“Henri Hooft told me that Shavkat Rakhmonov and him had a conversation and he said ‘Shavkat knows that you’re going to be the champion one day, but he says ‘Me first, then him later.'”, Garry mentioned. “So, it’s unfortunate that one of us are going to have to lose, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that he’s not getting his hand raised.”
Ian Machado Garry cut ties with Kill Cliff FC in 2023. Since departing Henri Hooft’s gym in favor of relocating to Chute Boxe Academy in Sierra Vista, AZ under the tutelage of Diego Lima, the question of why the move was made has come up.
“The American Gangster” Weighs In on Ian Machado Garry’s Move to Chute Boxe Academy
MMA legend Chael Sonnen is also pondering that question During a recent episode of his YouTube series Beyond the Fight, he discussed the upcoming tilt between Garry and Rakhmonov.
“Ian Garry… I’ve never fully understood why he left Sanford MMA,” Sonnen began. “Is that what they call themselves now? They’ve got a new name every week. Kill Cliff! Today, they’re the Kill Cliff. I never understood why he left, and perhaps there isn’t a reason. Imagine at 24 years old, completely undefeated, you’re the one controlling the headlines, but, in this room, you’re number five just within the weight class.”
“There’s five guys in this practice room in your weight class that can beat you, and do, on a daily basis, but the promoters want to see you, for some reason,” he continued. “Your placement on the card is higher than our placement on the card, the amount of headlines that you garner, your social media and your followers and the people that believe you are the man, when the four of us know you’re not.”
“Just by example, is that why Ian left?”, he asked. “Then, when Ian does leave, what is the big plan there? The big plan is ‘Okay, I’m really good, and I know I’m really good, and I’ve beaten everybody. The promotion likes me, and I’m making all sorts of money, but I happen to know four guys, so let me stay away from those guys.'”
Final Thoughts
Both Ian Machado Garry and Chael Sonnen have spent recent days supplying bulletin board material as the UFC 310 co-main event looms. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out over the upcoming weekend.
