UFC legend’s coach gives reality check on Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry: “Doesn’t seem to have the same finishing ability” 

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry will put their respective undefeated records on the line for the chance to fight for gold when they face off at UFC 310. Rakhmonov holds a staggering 18-0 record, with all wins coming via stoppage, whilst Garry is 15-0.

Their bout will feature as the pay-per-view co-main event, and has been dubbed an official welterweight title eliminator bout. The Kazakhstani fighter was originally set to face Belal Muhammad for UFC gold, but the champion suffered a severe bone infection in his toe and was ruled out.

With neither Rakhmonov nor his upcoming opponent having tasted defeat, there is much debate surrounding who will walk away victorious. But the former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre's longtime coach, Firas Zahabi, recently shared his breakdown for the matchup.

Zahabi believes that while both are talented fighters, the 30-year-old holds an edge over his opponent, and explained why:

"Shavkat obviously finished [Geoff Neal], finished him with a standing choke... Geoff Neal had some very good moments, even though you could kind of tell that Shavkat was wearing on him... You can't deny that Neal got in some good shots."

He continued:

"When Ian was fighting Geoff Neal, you could see that he was never anywhere near really finishing Neal. Even though he landed some very nice knees, he tagged Neal with hard shots. He just doesn't seem to have the same finishing ability as Shavkat."

Catch Firas Zahabi's thoughts on Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Ian Garry below (1:15):

---

Ian Garry is confident he will hand Shavkat Rakhmonov his first defeat

The thrilling welterweight matchup between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov will take place on Dec. 7. 'The Future' is budding with confidence ahead of the bout, partially stemming from the time spent training with Rakhmonov at Kill Cliff FC.

With rumors of the Kazakhstani landing a knockout strike during a sparring session with Garry, the Irishman's prediction for the fight has left no indication that those whispers carried any truth.

During a fight camp vlog uploaded to Garry's YouTube channel, he shared his thoughts on the matchup, saying:

"Honestly, I was pushing for the Shavkat fight... Undefeated versus undefeated. We've trained together. We know how good we are. We both respect each other... But the truth is, I will take his 0 and I will take that belt."

Catch Ian Garry's prediction for Shavkat Rakhmonov fight below (4:42):