Ian Machado Garry ahead of Shavkat Rakhmonov fight: 'I will take his 0, and I will take that belt'

Ian Machado Garry is confident he’ll be the first to beat Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) takes on Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a five-round welterweight bout, which co-headlines UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Both undefeated, Machado Garry and Rakhmonov have trained together before at Kill Cliff FC. According to DraftKings, Machado Garry is currently a +270 underdog against Rakhmonov, who’s a -340 favorite.

“Honestly, I was pushing for the Shavkat fight,” Machado Garry said on his YouTube channel. “I was pushing for it. (It’s) undefeated vs. undefeated. We’ve trained together. We know how good we are. We both respect each other.

“He probably respects me a lot less than I respect him, which is OK … which is OK. That’s the way it should be at that point in our careers. But the truth is, I will take his 0, and I will take that belt.”

Machado Garry originally was scheduled to face Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 63 main event on Dec. 14 – a matchup he admits he was initially disappointed with due to Buckley being lower ranked.

But after Rakhmonov lost out on his title fight against welterweight champion Belal Muhammad at UFC 310, the promotion called Machado Garry to take the fight, and he happily obliged.

“Anyone, anywhere, anytime,” Machado Garry said. “I am training to be the best Ian Machado Garry I possibly can be. I am preparing myself for every single stance, every single style. I am coming to take this division over, and show the world the gifts God gave me.

“I believe my greatness is about to be witnessed by the entire world, and it’s on me to showcase it. It’s on me to prepare the best way I possibly can. It’s on me to take everything into my own hands, and I’m excited by it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.