The marquee replacement fight for UFC 310 is now Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Garry which is an intriguing fight and Guru has respect for Ian Garry for taking on a dangerous opponent nobody else did.
Prediction: Shavkat via 4th round TKO after Gary starts breaking down under the pressure.
The genetic component is going to be massive here. Gary’s technically solid with his kicks and he’s got some clean combinations, but Shavkat’s just built different.
Even though Gary’s striking is legit, especially those inside leg kicks, Shavkat’s got that crazy strength advantage that showed up against bigger guys like Neil Magny. Sure, Gary pieced up MVP and beat Geoff Neal, but neither of those wins were exactly barnburners, and Shavkat’s a different beast entirely.
Expect Shavkat to push Gary against the cage, beat him up with knees to the body, and just wear him down with that Kazakhstani pressure. Gary will make it competitive early, might even win some exchanges, but by round 4 it’ll be too much. Shavkat’s chin holds up better, he hits harder, and he’s just got that dog in him.