A detailed breakdown of Shavkat Rakhmonov's controversial decision win over Ian Garry reveals his dominance in the clinch and middle distance striking, though he struggled significantly at long range. Rakhmonov landed the best strikes to the head, controlled the clinch in four of five rounds, and became the first UFC fighter to successfully take down Garry in the center of the cage—doing so twice. However, he threw almost no kicks and conceded the long-range battle by a wide margin, allowing Garry to score heavily with low kicks and oblique kicks. The analyst scored the fight essentially even on total points (40-40) but gave Rakhmonov the nod based on his control and damage to the head. Despite questions about his low activity at range and a fifth-round mistake, Rakhmonov is ranked above Morales, Garry, and Belal, though perhaps a quarter-class below Islam Makhachev.
