Michael Bisping reveals key factor in UFC 310 fight between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry

Michael Bisping thinks there’s a major deciding factor that looms over Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry.

Rakhmonov was expected to challenge Belal Muhammad for the UFC Welterweight Championship. A foot infection forced Muhammad off the UFC 310 card. As a result, Rakhmonov and Garry will collide in the co-main event.

Bisping believes Garry’s takedown defense will have to be on point if he expects to stand a chance.

Michael Bisping Wonders How Good Ian Machado Garry’s Takedown Defense Will Be at UFC 310

In a new video posted on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping discussed how crucial takedown defense will be for Ian Machado Garry against Shavkat Rakhmonov (via MMAFighting.com).

“I’ve said this before, you’ve got to have a lot of respect for Ian Garry,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He didn’t have to take this fight but can he stop the takedown? It seems like all I’m talking about here is takedowns. Shavkat Rakhmonov, he’s very tall for the division, as is Ian Garry. They’re both 6-foot-3 and they’re both competent strikers.

“Ian Garry’s probably going to dance around the octagon and use the exact same game plan what he did against Geoff Neal. He’s got to keep Shavkat Rakhmonov off him. If he can’t stop the takedown, he will get finished. That’s no disrespect to Ian Garry.”

Things would certainly get interesting if Garry can stuff takedown attempts early in the fight. The Irishman effectively keeps distance against his opponents and looks to pick them apart on the outside. If Rakhmonov can easily score takedowns, it’ll be hard to see Garry being able to string together any offense, which is Bisping’s point.

UFC 310 takes place this Saturday night. The headliner will be a flyweight title fight between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Asakura. BJPenn.com will provide live coverage of the event this weekend.