"That's folklore" - UFC insider explains why Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Machado Garry is "the people's main event" at UFC 310

The co-main event of UFC 310 is becoming "the people's main event" as it puts two undefeated fighters, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry, against each other. The UFC hasn't booked a lot of "undefeated vs undefeated" bouts in the past, but every time they do, they create massive hype and intrigue.

Garry is on an eight-fight undefeated streak in the UFC, on top of an undefeated record of 15-0. As for Shavkat Rakhmonov, the feared Kazakh warrior has 18 straight pro wins with 18 straight finishes, making him one of the few fighters today with a 100% finishing rate.

Talking about how the mystique around Shavkat Rakhonov is adding hype to this matchup, MMA legend and former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen gave his thoughts:

"People don't know if Rakhmonov is his first name, last name, or nickname. I mean, we know nothing about this guy. He does not do interviews."

He added:

"But golly, he's beat [18] men in a row. [18] out of [18] he finished them all. That's folklore. When I was growing up, you hear about somebody from a hundred years ago that could do something like this. I mean, it's folklore. The guy has got something."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments here (24:43):

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Chael Sonnen provides his prediction for Shavkat Rakhmonov vs Ian Garry at UFC 310

Chael Sonnen and his co-host Mike Soccio went deeper into the matchup, highlighting the fact that they used to train together as teammates. One interesting tidbit here is the rumor that Shavkat Rakhmonov choked out Ian Machado Garry in sparring, a rumor the Irishman himself confirmed to be true.

Despite the dangerous mystique and the fact that the Kazakh already beat him in practice, Garry still took the fight with no hesitation.

Speaking on the fight, 'The Bad Guy' said (26:06):

"I think it's a very interesting match. I think that's the true people's main event. That's the one people are looking forward to the most. I think the winner goes and fights for a world title."

When asked if he's choosing Shavkat Rakhmonov to win this fight, Sonnen said:

"I like Rakhmonov. I like him largely because they've [Rakhmonov and Garry] already done it. They've trained together everyday. They both understand this. The people there understand this. And people love to say that the training room is not the same. [But] yeah, it really is. It's actually the absolute closest thing you could ever have to the real thing, is the sparring session. So yeah, I like him in that regard."