Rakhmonov Regrets Taking Garry Fight While Injured

Shavkat Rakhmonov believes he made a mistake taking the Ian Machado Garry fight.

The undefeated welterweight contender told ALF Global in a recent interview that he entered UFC 310 last December with a pre-existing knee injury, a decision he now views as costly. Rakhmonov won the five-round co-main event by unanimous decision but has been sidelined throughout 2025 with ongoing health issues.

Rakhmonov Reveals Pre-Fight Injury Details

According to BJPenn.com, Rakhmonov disclosed that the knee problem predated the Garry clash by weeks. "I already had an injury going into the Ian Garry fight," he said. "I stepped in, I hadn't fought for a year. I wanted to fight. Even before that, I had health problems too, and it turned out that there were only two weeks left before the Ian Garry fight. That old injury was still bothering me a lot. My leg was swollen."

The Kazakh contender acknowledged pushing through despite the risk. "Well, that's my problem," Rakhmonov admitted. "I couldn't fight. If I had fought, I could've become champion, but that's how it turned out. I was injured. What can I do? We are only human, and we are bound to make plenty of mistakes. If you really look at it, I also made a wide variety of mistakes throughout my sports career. I actually shouldn't have even fought Ian Machado Garry at all."

Garry has publicly claimed credit for damaging Rakhmonov's knee during their bout, though the Kazakh's comments suggest the injury originated earlier. Rakhmonov's injury history has drawn comparisons to Dominick Cruz, who overcame multiple extended layoffs to capture the UFC bantamweight title twice. Rakhmonov has not announced a return date for 2026.

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• BJPenn — Shavkat Rakhmonov doesn’t think he should’ve fought Ian Machado Garry: “I also made a wide variety of mistakes throughout my sports career”