The opponent identified a mistake by Rakhmonov and threatened him with an early defeat.

The seventh-ranked UFC welterweight, Ian Garry, who is set to face the third-ranked Shavkat Rakhmonov this weekend, shared that he has long awaited this matchup and is confident he will emerge victorious, as reported by Vesti.kz.

Their fight will take place on December 8 in Las Vegas, USA. Garry is stepping in for the organization's champion, Belal Muhammad, who was unable to compete against Rakhmonov due to health issues.

"Training is training. We train to grow and improve. If Shavkat thinks our fight will be a repeat of past training sessions, he is very mistaken... I believe he will be active and aggressive at the start of the fight. In the first two rounds, he will try to figure me out. But by the third and fourth, I will start to take control of the bout. I think by the fourth round, Shavkat will be out of gas, he won’t have any options left, and I will find a way to finish him," Garry stated.

Rakhmonov last fought in December 2023 at UFC 296, defeating Stephen Thompson with a submission in the second round. Garry competed in June 2024 at UFC 303, winning a unanimous decision against Michael Page.