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According to Shavkat Rakhmonov, a slew of contenders turned him down for UFC 310.
Rakhmonov was seeking an opponent for Saturday’s pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena after losing out on his title fight against welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. Kamaru Usman expressed interest, and Colby Covington claimed that he offered to step in.
However, neither wound up stepping in. Instead, Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will meet Ian Machado Garry (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in a five-round co-main event Saturday at UFC 310.
Rakhmonov explains how he ended up fighting Machado Garry.
“I wanted to fight Kamaru Usman, but he didn’t accept the fight,” Rakhmonov told Submission Radio through an interpreter. “Also, they offered to (Carlos) Prates, but he was injured. And Colby Covington, he rejected the fight. I’m happy that Ian Garry accepted the fight. It will be a great fight.”
Rakhmonov clarifies that Usman (20-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was initially willing to take the fight.
“Honestly, I don’t know. In the beginning, (Usman) accepted the fight, but then he rejected,” Rakhmonov said. “Maybe he didn’t want to risk. Of course, he doesn’t want to lose.”
As for Covington (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), Rakhmonov debunked the former interim welterweight champion’s claim of ever wanting the fight.
“I don’t care about Colby. They offered him to fight me, but he was just talking,” Rakhmonov said. “When it came to business, he rejected, disappeared. I’m happy I’m fighting Ian Garry. We’re both unbeaten, and we’ll see who’s better.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.