It’s safe to say that UFC welterweight contender Ian Garry isn’t pleased with the promotion’s choice of replacement for the injured Shavkat Rakhmonov.
After an injury to champion Belal Muhammad stalled his plans to win gold late last year, Rakhmonov maintained his top contender status by getting the better of short-notice opponent Garry at UFC 310.
But while “Nomad” was looking ahead to a rescheduled showdown with Muhammad, another injury — this time to the Kazakh star — has once again scuppered those plans.
In Rakhmonov’s place at UFC 315 in Montreal on May 10 will be Jack Della Maddalena. The decision to pull the Australian from his original clash with Leon Edwards in London and grant him a title shot hasn’t sat well with one fellow contender.
During a recent video uploaded to his Instagram account, Garry didn’t shy away from expressing his bemusement with the UFC’s call. The Irishman questioned why he wasn’t the promotion’s first thought, especially given his belief that Rakhmonov’s injury derived from damage sustained in their fight last December.
“Why aren’t I fighting for the title? I had a chat with my agent. I rang him when he told me about this news and I was livid — still am to this day,” Ian Garry said. “I had a number one contender’s fight, where the guy (Rakhmonov) now has to get knee reconstruction and is out for a year.
“I’m not fighting for a world title because I’m coming off a loss and they’re giving it to a guy who’s been injured for a year, and they think that’s more exciting. But they’re wrong,” Garry continued, taking credit for Rakhmonov’s injury. “The title fight was meant to be Shavkat Rakhmonov taking on Belal Muhammad, but Shavkat is out injured. I wonder how that happened? Now they’re pulling in a guy who hasn’t fought in a year…hasn’t been active. They’ve given it to Jack Della Maddalena. It’s okay. Don’t worry. I’ll get you all. You’re all mine.”
Prior to losing his undefeated status at the hands of Rakhmonov, Ian Garry had risen the ranks with victories over Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Michael “Venom” Page.
