Machado Garry was referencing the fact that No 1 and No 2-ranked Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman did not step in to face No 3 Rakhmonov, nor did the division’s fourth, fifth and sixth-seeded fighters: Sean Brady, Jack Della Maddalena and Colby Covington. Meanwhile, Machado Garry is ranked seventh at 170lb.

According to Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov called him a future champion. Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) takes on fellow unbeaten welterweight contender Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 310 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Just days out from his return against Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry is focused on more than just the UFC welterweight division.

Michael Bisping has said Ian Machado Garry “will get finished” at UFC 310 if he can’t stop Shavkat Rakhmonov ’s takedowns. Rakhmonov, one of the most fearsome contenders in the UFC, is 18-0 with 18 stoppage wins, and the Kazakh was due to challenge welterweight champion Belal Muhammad on Saturday (7 December).

UFC 310 (pay-per-view, ESPN 2, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry meet in a highly-anticipated fight, before Alexandre Pantoja defends his flyweight belt against Kai Asakura

As soon as the fight between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov was announced, the Irish fighter claimed, “I will take his 0, and I will take that belt.” Needless to say, with Belal Muhammad out of UFC 310 because of his foot infection,

Joaquin Buckley sees Ian Machado Garry doing just enough to beat Shavkat Rakhmonov. Machado Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) meets fellow unbeaten contender Rakhmonov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a five-round welterweight bout Dec. 7 at UFC 310 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 310 Countdown previews co-main event bout between undefeated welterweights Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry.

Michael Bisping argues that Ian Machado Garry has one clear cut path to victory over Shavkat Rakhmonov but if he ends up on his back, then it’s probably going to be lights out for the Irish welterweight contender.