Ian Machado Garry will have some help Saturday night when he fights Shavkat Rakhmonov in the co-main event of UFC 310 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Enter former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Garry announced Tuesday that Oliveira would be in his corner, giving him an extra set of experience on fight night.
Ian Machado Garry said he is fascinated by Oliveira’s resume and dove deeper into Oliveira’s expertise on YouTube.
“I read a stat the other day: Charles Oliveira went to the fourth round for the first time in his career after his 46th UFC fight,” Garry said. “That’s insane! The guy is a machine! …
“I f*cking love and adore Charles Oliveira with all of my heart. He is absolutely the most entertaining fighter in the UFC. Man, he has never been in an unentertaining fight. He’s an absolute savage. I love him, and he’s going to be in my corner for this fight.”
Garry vs. Rakhmonov has a unique attribute of entering the fight rarely seen in the UFC, much less a title eliminator fight: undefeated vs. undefeated.
Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov’s stats are eye-popping
Garry and Rakhmonov combined at 14-0 in the UFC and 33-0 overall. Someone’s zero will have to go, which is rare in the UFC at this level in any division. To make matters even crazier, Rakhmonov has never seen the judges in his MMA career, winning five of his six UFC outings by submission and the other by KO.
Garry was scheduled to headline against former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington in Tampa, Fla., next Saturday. However, welterweight champion Belal Muhammad suffered a “bone infection,” leaving Rakhmonov without an opponent and allowing the Irishman to step in on short notice.
However, UFC brass have confirmed that the winner will fight Muhammad for the title whenever he is 100 percent healthy. Muhammad upset Leon Edwards in July by decision, giving Illinois its first champion since Matt Hughes in the early-2000s.
For now, only time will tell.