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There’s One Fighter Tipped to De-Rail Ian Garry Hype Train in UFC

By Admin / August 23, 2024

Neil Magny, the winningest welterweight in UFC history, joined GIVEMESPORT.COM for an exclusive interview ahead of his fight against another undefeated prospect this coming weekend.

Magny, 37, has fought through multiple generations of UFC welterweights, but has managed to stay in the business because of his work ethic and for being a consummate professional. The former military member fought two highly-touted 170-pounders recently, in Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakmonov, and gave his prediction of how a fight between the two fighters could play out.

Ian Garry vs Shavkat Rakhmonov Prediction

Garry: 15-0 (7 KOs, 1 SUBs), Rakhmonov: 18-0 (8 KOs, 10 SUBs)

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Both guys seem to be starting at opposite ends of the division and have been slowly chopping down the competition for what will be an eventual highly-anticipated match-up. Their skills are undeniable. Shavkat Rakhmonov is more equipped in the grappling department, but Ian Garry performed on much bigger stages.

Magny has shared the cage with both Rakhmonov (submission loss, UFC Fight Night) and Garry (decision loss, UFC 292). The 12-year UFC veteran gave his prediction for the fight that fans are craving:

“If I had to choose, and where they are right now in their careers, I would think that Shavkat has a slight advantage, as far as being a more well-rounded fighter. I mean, Shavkat has the wrestling ability. He has ground work and he also has the striking as well. Ian Garry, he is definitely a good fighter. He’s definitely evolving and will be a great fighter as he continues with the sport, but if I were to see the two of them go head to head right now, I would slightly favor Shavkat in that fight just based on where he’s at skills wise right now.”

Garry and Rakhmonov Sparring

ian garry shavkat rakhmonov

Sparring is a sacred part of combat sports that isn’t supposed to see the light of day because fighters are either working on new techniques, are going less than 100% and have protective equipment on. However, there have been some famous spars that have created a ton of appeal as many will associate the footage with how the actual fight will go.

When joining The MMA Hour, Garry admittedly said that his Kazakh counterpart got the better of him on a random sparring day and seemed to brush off any doubt that the training session may have caused from fans and media:

We’ve had glimpses of sparring pop up from former UFC champions Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane ahead of their UFC 270 main event fight. Another example was when TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt’s training video was leaked in the midst of their rivalry. Here’s a clip of Rakhmonov and Garry moving around:

Magny, who lost to both of the talented fighters, talked about the footage of Rakhmonov and Garry trading blows in the gym:

“If someone’s getting the best of you at 30%, you’re gonna do up to about 32% or so to try to make it even or get back. So, just for the nature that we’re all competitors seeking to go out there and do our best against anyone who’s standing in front of us. Training is something that I personally take seriously, and I think a lot of other fighters take serious. There’s no way you could be content with getting your butt kicked and say you’re aspiring to be the best in the world. I just don’t feel like that exists inside of you if you’re a true competitor, you know what I mean? It’s not a switch you can turn off. I mean, if my friends beat me in Call of Duty, it’s on. It’s war. I’m taking it so seriously. I need to get that win back. Like, you know what I mean? … I’ll definitely take the train footage with a grain of salt and say, ‘yeah, I think that’s likely how a fight would go.”

The inevitable meeting of the undefeated Garry and Rakhmonov should happen sometime in 2025 at the latest, but when these new faces of the welterweight division do finally face-off, it will be one heck of a fight.

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