UFC welterweight contender Ian Garry emerged from this past weekend's pay-per-view pleased with his efforts.
Rakhmonov appeared in the Octagon for the third time this year on Saturday night, co-headlining the UFC 310 event opposite Shavkat Rakhmonov inside Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
The Irishman was originally set to feature in 2024's final UFC fight next weekend in Tampa, but the withdrawal of champion Belal Muhammad from his scheduled defense on Dec. 7 saw "The Future" agree to a short-notice showdown with a fellow undefeated contender in "Nomad."
And the pair fought out the kind of competitive battle many had anticipated from two former training partners who had never tasted defeat on the professional stage. Ultimately, one man's '0' had to go.
Unfortunately for Garry, he was the one who exited the cage with a blemished record, having fallen on the wrong side of three 48-47 scorecards in "Sin City." With that, Rakhmonov has successfully defended his spot as next in line for a crack at Muhammad's gold.
While that's dealt a setback for Garry, he seems far from downbeat in the aftermath of his loss.
During his
I’m humble in victory and in defeat and always have been, and I do not feel like I lost today," Garry said. "My hand might not have been raised, but I came out and I fought a giant, I came out and I fought the boogeyman, and I showed that he’s f*cking human. I went out there on three weeks' notice and I saved this event. I saved this card against the scariest man in the division and I went out there and I stopped almost everything.
I showed that I can hang with the single best in the division and I proved tonight that I can absolutely be a champion," Garry continued. "He won by opinion, and that’s okay, I can live with that, and I’m very happy with my performance tonight.
Having maintained immense confidence in his abilities and future rise to top spot at 170 pounds, Garry will no doubt look to continue his development in 2025 and bounce back to winning ways.