Ian Machado Garry proud of UFC 310 performance against Shavkat Rakhmonov: ‘I fought the boogeyman and showed he’s f*cking human’

Ian Machado Garry has suffered the first defeat of his pro MMA career, but he doesn’t feel it’s a setback.

Garry stepped up when the UFC needed a new opponent for Shavkat Rakhmonov. While Rakhmonov was scheduled to challenge Belal Muhammad for the welterweight title at UFC 310, the champion suffered a bone infection. Garry answered the call and had his moments against Rakhmonov.

Ultimately, Garry fell short via unanimous decision, although he was certainly competitive.

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Ian Machado Garry Doesn’t View UFC 310 Fight As A Loss

Ian Machado Garry addressed his defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov during the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. Garry was in good spirits and explained why he doesn’t feel he was truly defeated (via MMAJunkie.com).

“I don’t feel like I lost today,” Machado Garry told reporters at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. “I might’ve not gotten my hand 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, I saved this event, I saved this card and against the scariest man in the division. I went out there and I stopped almost everything. There was no point where he looked like he was going to finish the fight, and I put him in two submissions. I took his back, and I had fun.

“I showed that I can hang with the single best in the division and proved tonight, on short notice, that I can absolutely be a champion. I can do it for five rounds and there are no holes in my game. There was nothing that man brought for me tonight. He won by opinion, and that’s ok. That’s ok. I can live with that.”

Garry’s future still looks bright after giving Rakhmonov a solid test before he ultimately challenges Belal Muhammad. The Irishman will look to take the positives from UFC 310, as well as work on what can be improved in order to show he’s truly elite in the 170-pound division.