A detailed breakdown of Shavkat Rakhmonov's fight against Ian Garry highlights several impressive elements of the Kazakh fighter's performance. Rakhmonov showed significant improvement in mid-range striking compared to his bout with Geoff Neal, consistently landing clean single power shots including jabs, right overhands, left hooks, and spinning backfists. He dominated the clinch for the first four rounds and became the only UFC fighter to score takedowns on Garry in the center of the octagon, achieving this twice. The analysis notes Rakhmonov's strong control throughout the fight, except in the fifth round. However, questions remain about his low activity at long range, where he was significantly outstruck by Garry's kicks. The author scored the middle and close-range exchanges clearly for Rakhmonov but acknowledged Garry's dominance at distance, ultimately favoring Rakhmonov overall while noting he cannot afford to concede so much at long range at this level.
