A top UFC fighter with a 15-0 record has challenged Rakhmonov after the champion declined the fight.

The undefeated Irish fighter (15-0) has challenged the Kazakhstani (18-0), following the withdrawal of the welterweight champion (24-3) from the bout scheduled for December 7, according to reports.

Ian Machado Garry Shavkat Rakhmonov was left without an opponent after Belal Muhammad withdrew, as reported by Vesti.kz.

Garry is ranked seventh in the UFC division, while "Nomad" is in the top three.

"Two undefeated fighters. Anytime, anywhere," Garry wrote on Instagram.

In another post, the Irishman shared a clip from an old press conference discussing a fight with Rakhmonov.

"Shavkat, 18–0, undefeated. I would love to meet him. We have trained together, and I feel nothing but respect for him, but I want to be the first to beat him, and I know I can do it. I'm very interested in this matchup. I respect this guy; I just don’t want anyone to beat him before I do. He has eighteen wins without a loss, I have fifteen with no losses - let’s have a fight and find out who is stronger."

"I’ll take his zero." Chimaev, Makhachev, and 6 other UFC fighters who want to fight Rakhmonov A post shared by ‘The Future’ Ian Machado Garry (@iangarry) Shavkat Rakhmonov learned the price of victory over the UFC champion

Garry last stepped into the octagon in June at UFC 303, where he won a unanimous decision against Michael Page. His record boasts fifteen victories, including eight finishes, with no losses.

Rakhmonov has eighteen finishes in the same number of fights. The Kazakhstani hasn’t fought since December 2023, when he finished American Stephen Thompson (17-7-1) in the second round.

The title fight between Rakhmonov and Muhammad has been canceled: UFC found them replacements.